Secrets Can Kill Me
by NYCStreetRat
Summary: Actor is just a regular gang member...who happens to have infiltrated the Newsies. With commands from her boss to bring the Newsies down, she will learn secrets that she never wanted to know. Secrets, that she might not be able to handle. T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Life's not fair. Seriously, that's probably going through the head of half the people in the world right now. And it's entirely true. Everyone has some grudge against the universe. Me, I've got a pretty decent list going. Like, how I hate my brother, my dad's in jail, I betray people constantly, etc. But, I'm not complaining. Things could be worse.

And who am I? The name's Actor. I'm a girl, 15 years old. Spent my life out on the streets ever since I was six. Got picked up by a gang at seven and been with them ever since. Before all that I had a nice life. Mother, father, brother; the whole package. Father started to get in debt from horse races when I was little and had to work a lot of jobs to pay it off. Even I had to help my mother make ornaments to sell for money while my brother did odd jobs here and there. One day there was an accident. At least, that's what I was told. Father had been drinking with his friends and on the way home they ran into some guys who my dad had paid off. Demanding more money, you know? So my father goes and hits a guy on the head with an empty bottle. The guy started bleeding and was left there when everyone ran away. Bled to death, and my father was sent to jail. He's still there, as a matter of fact. Got a sentence of twenty years, more time than necessary because he was charged for alleged "debt". I visit him every chance I get, because he's my dad and I still love him. My mother still goes too, and I visit her as well. See, after the accident my mom got a job as a maid at some rich guy's house. But I'd have to work as a maid as well if I wanted to live there, so I hightailed it out of there. My mom understands though, so we're still good friends.

It's my brother that I hate. He was eight when the accident happened, and I still remember what he was like. He was caring and a nice brother, and although he liked to play jokes he was the best person ever. At least I thought so, until my father went to jail. My brother went into a fit when he heard what happened and blamed father for everything. Thought his life was in ruins and ditched us for the street because we still loved father. I still remember seeing him walking away, as I counted every step he took as he walked into the night. I don't know where he is now, and quite frankly I don't care.

The street gang that picked me up is called the Black King's. Their supposed turf is Manhattan, but they spread out across Brooklyn and Queen's (technically neutral gang territory). I've been with them for eight years now, and I love them like a family. I work mainly as a spy, since no one outside of the gang really knows I exist. Probably because of our outfit. We wear all black, and tie black bandannas around the lower part of our faces when we fight or go out in daylight. We're pretty much night owls. Right now I'm spying on the Manhattan Newsies. Night (the leader) said something about having some fun with Manhattan and Brooklyn while keeping an eye on them. I trust him, so I'm just going along with it.

And it was really easy to infiltrate the Manhattan Newsies. All I did was beat up the Delancy's but act innocent around Newsies when they came over and talked to me. Jack was looking at me like he knew something at first, but then he gladly let me join.

Now, a week later, I'm a Newsie. And I've got to carry out a plan to destroy them.


	2. Chapter 2

I made it back to the LH after selling the afternoon edition. Normally I would've skipped it and given a report to Night or Holler, but I hadn't seen either of them around here. This didn't bother me though, because I knew that the two of them were bound to be busy with the "plan". But now I was tired and all I wanted to do was sleep or play a quick game of poker. Unfortunately, it was impossible to relax around the Newsies. I had to be constantly alert for information or any signs that they were on to me.

Sighing, I dragged myself into the LH and up the stairs to the boy's room. Even before I reached the top I could hear yelling and laughter from inside. I let a small smile slip onto my face, feeling oddly separated from them, even though I was only a thin piece of wood away.

Opening the door, I walked forward and straight into someone. Looking up, I froze as I realized who it was.

Spot Conlon.

My heart beat faster as I continued to stand next to the famous King of Brooklyn. Frick. The absolute last person I wanted to see here. Now there was a big roadblock in the plan, and it was wearing red suspenders. I was starting to get in hot water.

"Oh good, you're here" Jack said to me as he walked over to the two of us.

"Spot, this is Actor, our newest Newsie. Actor, this is Spot Conlon, leader of Brooklyn" Jack said.

During the introduction Jack had shot a meaningful glance at Spot, which Spot seemed to understand. I was worried about what it meant, but was careful enough not to let it show. Instead, I spit into my hand and held it out to Spot.

"Nice to meet you"

Spot looked at me for a moment before spitting into his hand and shaking mine. As soon as the handshake ended I walked over to the poker table and sat down.

"Deal me in Race" I said, and Race obliged by quickly throwing down some cards for me.

I picked them up and had to work hard to keep my face blank. I had a really good hand: full house with three aces and two sevens. We started to place down our bets, and I threw in a few pennies.

As we were playing, however, I felt an odd sensation. It was as if I could tell someone was staring at me, and that there were two holes being burned into my face from their eyes. At first I tried to ignore it, but the feeling just got worse. I got fed up and looked to my right, against my better judgment. I was immediately met with the gaze of Spot. It wasn't one of those flirtatious gazes, or even a suspicious gaze. It was calculating, and a bit curious. The thing that unnerved me was that he didn't look away when I met his gaze. He continued to stare at me. Tearing me eyes away, I tried to go back to the poker game even though I still felt his eyes on me.

I was so distracted by this that I failed to notice that only Race and I were still playing, and that the pot had grown fairly large. Triumphantly, Race laid down his cards. It was a full house with three kings and two sevens. Slowly, I laid down my cards as well. We both looked at the cards in silence and disbelief for a while, until something in my head clicked.

"I WON!" I yelled, jumping up.

Everyone immediately crowded around the table, including Jack and Spot.

"I beat Race!" I said excitedly, tugging on Jack's sleeve and pointing at the cards.

"Yeah you did!" He said, laughing.

I felt like a little kid but I didn't care. Everyone was chattering and patting me on the back while making fun of Race. He just smiled and held out his hand to me.

"I can't believe it" Race said.

"I can't either" I said, shaking his hand.

I scooped up my winnings and put them in my pocket. In all of the excitement I managed to back away and sneak out the door. Once outside, I breathed in the cool night air.

'If I was going to just come out here again I probably shouldn't have gone inside in the first place' I thought wryly.

Still, it was nice to have that handful of change in my pocket now. I chuckled at the thought of Race's face when he realized I had beaten him.

"Pure dumb luck…" I said softly.

"With what?" a voice from the darkness said.

I jumped a good five feet in the air and landed on my butt. Out of the darkness stepped a smirking Holler. I glared at him and tried to slow down my heart by breathing deeply.

"What the hell was that for?" I hissed at him.

"Sorry, just couldn't resist the chance to make you jump" he snickered.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious" I said sarcastically, "But seriously, what are you doing here? I could get caught if you hang out here too long"

"Don't worry Actor. I won't get caught and neither will you" he said, patting my head.

"But Spot Conlon's here!" I whispered.

"Really?" Holler said, looking extremely interested.

"Yeah. And it was weird, he was staring at me during poker. And him and Jack exchanged a look when I was introduced to Jack, so I think they know something's up" I explained rapidly.

"Hmm, you may be right. But I think that "look" is about something else" Holler said, shaking his head.

He noticed my questioning look and sighed.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now listen up. We've just had a change of plans" Holler said, a smirk appearing on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Alright, this is NYCStreetRat. macbethandwitches and I were chatting it up, and since she has no inspiration for this story anymore but wants it to keep on going, I am now the author of this story. macbethandwitches still owns the plot and character, but I'll be writing everything. Hope you like the story, I'll be trying to write like her so everyone isn't thrown off with a different writing style. And this might be a little bit short… Oh well, enjoy!**

"A change in plans?" I said with a confused look.

"Yeah. You already know that our previous plan was to just spy on the Newsies a bit. Just to see what they're up to on the inside. Night changed his mind after your last report about how they've been acting lately. He decided they've been getting too cocky for their own good. We need to remind them that we own these streets," Holler explained, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

I stiffened immediately.

"They're going to know something's up if they smell cigarette smoke out here. All the boys know I don't smoke," I said carefully.

Holler just smirked and ignored me. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. He was a second-in-command, you'd think that he'd care about me not getting caught.

"So what do you need me to do?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Just keep on doing what you're doing. We'll keep you updated about any plans we make," Holler replied.

"Got it. But I'm serious: you need to leave. I don't want to get caught," I said firmly.

Holler's eyes flashed with anger and I flinched back towards the door.

"Don't forget that I'm above you Actor," he said in a dangerously low voice.

"Sorry Holler," I mumbled.

Holler's face softened immediately.

"It's okay. I know you're just trying to keep out of trouble. Actually, I probably should leave before Night kicks my ass for being out here too long," Holler winked at me.

"Alright Holler. See ya around" I chuckled, saluting him.

Holler threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it before turning and fading back into the dark streets.

I sat there for a few more moments, staring into the night. I could hear the boys upstairs yelling, and smirked. So naïve… But what about Spot and Jack? I frowned, thinking back on everything that had happened with them. It unnerved me a bit, but I couldn't come up with a reason as to why they were acting like that. Sighing, I stood up and stretched. I should probably join the party again, or people would start to wonder where I'd gone.

As I turned around, the door opened to reveal Spot Conlon. My breath caught for a second, remembering the way he'd been staring at me earlier. He was studying me now, but it wasn't as intense.

"Are you going back inside?" he asked me suddenly.

"Yeah," I replied.

Spot stepped passed me and sat down on the steps. I started to go inside, but Spot's voice stopped me.

"I smell cigarette smoke. I thought you didn't smoke"

I froze halfway through the doorway, my mind racing. Shit! I told Holler not to smoke just in case, but I also didn't expect someone to be able to actually come out here so soon. I tried to calm myself and handle the situation properly.

"I don't. But I don't smell any smoke. Maybe you still smell the guys smoking upstairs," I replied, before quickly walking inside before he could reply.

I shut the door behind me and leaned on it, taking deep breaths. How the hell had he figured that out so fast? I prayed that it wouldn't mean trouble for me, and that he'd just let it go. But somewhere deep inside me I felt that this wasn't the end.

I shakily walked back up to the room, a fake smile already plastered on my face. It was time to live up to my name. It was time for me to be an Actor.

**Well, I hoped you guys liked this! Promise to write soon! And that the next chapter will be longer than this, this was kind of a test chapter. Review if you want to!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kept my promise! Here's Chapter 4. And lots of thanks to Austra, who reviewed! You're awesome! This one is definitely way longer, and I'm so proud of it. BTW's anything italicized is Actor thinking. I'm sure you guys are smart enough to figure that out on your own, but just in case, that's what it means. And I totally forgot to add this the last three chapters (which, I should remind you, one and two are written by macbethandwitches but everything else is written by me):**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies, it's plot, or any of its characters. I do co-own Actor, and I completely own Match, Glasses, and Tear. **

**Enjoy!**

I woke up the next morning and groaned when I felt the throbbing pain in my head. Last night came flooding back to me as I managed to sit up. After my run-in with Spot, I'd gone back upstairs and hung out with everyone. Match (**A/N Any names that you don't notice in the next sentence are going to be girl Newsies, because I decided that Actor would be way too lonely being the only girl Newsie**), Glasses, and Tear hung out with me in a corner, where we talked and drank. There were other girls scattered randomly throughout the room, but I decided to stick with my group. Apparently I had drunk a little too much, and now was suffering from a splitting headache.

I managed to stagger into the washroom, where people was getting ready. Everyone was in their usual hyper moods, but I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who hadn't had fun getting up this morning. I splashed some cold water on my face and ran a comb through my hair, trying to get out all the knots.

"Hey there Actor" Match said, joining me at the sink we usually shared.

"Hey" I said, not in the mood to get a real conversation going.

Apparently Match didn't catch my vibe though, because she immediately started up her usual rambling conversation.

"Great time last night. I can't believe Kloppman didn't come up and tell us to go to bed! I mean, we were up until practically midnight! He usually has lights out at 10! I wonder where he was. I mean, I don't think I saw him at all last night. Then again, I drank so much I don't really remember much. But at least I wasn't the only one, eh? You and Glasses where knocking down a lot too. But Tear didn't seem to be much in a partying mood. And did you see Spot last night? God he is hot. Oh yeah, and didn't you disappear for a little bit last night? Oh well, your space. Oh, and Medda wants you to come by the theatre this afternoon, she wants to show you something,"

"Match, how is it physically possible for you to think straight and talk that fast this early in the morning after drinking last night?" I asked, pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

She just shrugged and grinned. I rolled my eyes but allowed a small smile.

We both made our way down the stairs with everyone else. As we walked out the door I glanced down at the ground and saw that Holler's cigarette wasn't there anymore. I got an uneasy feeling in the bottom of my stomach that Spot had something to do with it, but prayed he wouldn't bring it up.

By the time we reached the gates, they were already open and Jack was having his usual insult fest with Mr. Wiesel and the Delancy brothers. I took my place in line and waited until I got up to the front.

"Hey Mr. Wiesel" I said, laying down my money on the counter.

"Hey Actor. Alright, 40 papes it is," Wiesel said, as Oscar started to count out my papes.

I was always nice to Wiesel, and he was pretty nice to me back. I mean, I was one of the few people who didn't insult him on a regular basis. And I never took out random loans like Race, so he trusted me more too.

Oscar started to hand me my papes, and he looked like he was about to make a comment but suddenly stopped. I noticed his eyes were looking behind me, before flicking back to rest on me again. I felt the urge to turn around, but refrained from doing so. I'm not sure I wanted to know what had made Oscar shut up.

"Thanks," I said after getting my papes, and Oscar just nodded in response.

I turned and walked away, and straight ahead I saw Jack and Spot, standing right where Oscar had been looking. I wanted to walk straight past them but Jack waved me over. Unwillingly, I approached the two of them.

"Hey" I said, directing my comment more to Jack than to Spot.

"Hey. Are you selling over on Fleet Street (**A/N SWEENY TODD! Sorry, I just had to use that**) again?" Jack asked me.

"Yep. People are starting to get to know me over there," I replied.

"That's good. I'm glad you could fill in that spot. Any good headlines today?"

"Ehh, they're okay. There is one interesting story about some guy who fell into the river though. Page 3" I said, looking through one of my papes.

"Thanks" Jack said, chuckling.

"I should get selling. I'll see you guys around" I said, figuring I might as well address Spot even though he hadn't been included in the conversation.

As I walked away, I could've sworn I heard Spot say to Jack,

"We need to talk later. About her"

I shrugged it off and tried to focus on the long day I had ahead of me, selling newspapers.

'_Damnit. I know I've spent too much time here if I'm already worrying about newspapers'_.

I trudged back to the Lodging House after I finished selling all of my papes. Business was pretty good, and I'd even gotten a couple of tips. Fleet Street was right near the start of the upper town businesses, so I was able to catch most of the business men on their way to work. Still, selling newspapers was tiring, and I was glad to be able to go back to the Lodging House.

I finally reached the LH and walked up the stairs. Kloppman wasn't at his usual post, but I wasn't really surprised. He didn't really have to be here except in the mornings and at night, since we were all out selling during the day.

I climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway towards the bedroom. The door was shut, which is unusual. Usually it was wide open so that everyone could just come running in and out. I approached it cautiously, in case Jack was talking to some other leaders or something, which I knew I wasn't supposed to be a part of.

I heard voices coming from inside and immediately stopped.

'_Now would be a good time to do some spying for Holler'_

I inched towards the door and pressed against the wall, getting as close as I dared. You know all the stories about people pressing their ear to the door and then dramatically falling down when the door is suddenly opened and everyone finding out that they were spying? Not going to happen to me. I listened intently to the argument that was going on between what sounded like Jack and Spot.

"I'm telling you Jack, something isn't right with Actor,"

My heart almost stopped beating at the sound of my name being mentioned by Spot.

"What are you talking about Spot? Actor's fine, she's one of us,"

"No, there's something that feels wrong. Last night after that poker game between Race and Actor, I noticed that she had slipped away. She wasn't on the fire escape so I went downstairs and found her on the steps, but she was going back inside when I went out," Spot explained.

"So, you're trying to tell us that you're stalking her?" A voice that sounded like Race's spoke up.

"Shut up and listen," Spot growled, "When I went outside I smelled cigarette smoke. Actor doesn't smoke, she even told me so"

"What if Actor really does smoke and just doesn't want us to know?" Jack asked.

"Will you guys just shut up for one second while I explain? Anyway, I told her that I smelled cigarette smoke and that I thought she didn't smoke. She replied that she didn't smoke, but also that she didn't smell anything. Then she suggested that I just smelled the smoke from up here,"

"Which means…?" Race's voice trailed off.

"There was definitely the smell of someone smoking outside, it was blatantly obvious. So why would she lie and cover it up? I also noticed a stubbed out cigarette a few feet away from the steps. But Actor must have been sitting on the steps for a long time because when I first went out there she had just stood up and stretched. There's no way she would've needed to stretch if she had just been walking around and smoking"

"Wait a minute, what are you saying?" Jack asked.

"I'm saying that Actor must have been talking to someone outside after the poker game who was smoking, which would explain why there was a cigarette if Actor doesn't smoke and if she was sitting the entire time," Spot concluded.

"And if she lied to you about the cigarette smoke, that means that it must have been someone that she doesn't want anyone to know about," Race said slowly.

"Exactly," Spot said, and I could hear the decisiveness in his voice.

"Oh, shit," Jack groaned, "What am I going to do? Should I just straight up ask her about this?"

"You need to Jack. This is serious. You can't go easy on her just because you think she's your sister," Spot said firmly.

I froze, my thoughts spinning through my head. Jack could be… my brother? I don't really remember exactly what my brother looked like, I was only six when it happened and my memories are a little fuzzy now. But I do still remember him walking away as he deserted us. I should hate him, right? I hate my brother, but I don't hate Jack Kelly. But what if Jack Kelly was my brother?

In a daze, I quietly made my way down the stairs. I didn't bother staying and listening to the rest of their conversation. I wouldn't have been able to pay attention after learning that I might be Jack Kelly's little sister.

I stepped outside and didn't notice Blink, Mush, and Boots sitting on the steps until Blink spoke up.

"Hey Actor. What's with the look?" he asked me.

I made a face at him and quickly thought up an excuse.

"I had two quarters earlier from selling but they must've fallen out cause I can't find them," I sighed.

"Ouch, two quarters? I'm sorry Actor, that's gotta suck" Mush said sympathetically.

"You know what? I'm going to go look for them" I said decisively, starting to run away.

"That's crazy! You'll never find them" Boots shouted at me.

"It might be crazy but it's worth trying" I called back over my shoulder.

I ran down the street and turned the corner, making my way to the edge of Central Park where I knew I could find Holler and Night. It was time to get some answers to all the questions I had. If anything, those two should be able to tell me something.

**Holy crap, that was a lot longer than I actually realized…. Oh well, I love this chapter. Finally, things are starting to be revealed! And Spot is a detective! I love how smart I made him in this chapter, but I totally feel like all of this is what's normally running through his head. Please review if you want to!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Special thanks to Austra for telling me to get back on this story. I have no excuses anymore since school's now over. So hopefully I'll be more on top of this story now….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. I co-own Actor and any name that you don't recognize. **

I finally arrived at Central Park and saw Holler and Night leaning against the tree where we usually meet. It was in a part of the park that was usually deserted, just so that there was a smaller chance that someone we knew would see us. I immediately stormed over to Holler and grabbed him by the collar. In the back of my mind I knew that was a pretty stupid move, but I wasn't really thinking straight at the moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I yelled at him.

Holler narrowed his eyes and shoved me away. I stumbled back a bit, but managed to stay on my feet.

"Tell you what?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself so I could ask the question I was having a mental breakdown over.

"Is… is Jack Kelly really my brother?"

Night and Holler said nothing for a moment, only stared at me, as if deciding whether or not to answer my question.

"Yes. You are the younger sister of Manhattan's Newsie leader," Night finally spoke.

"But how did-"

"We find out?" Holler interrupted me, "When you came to us, you told us that your name was Katherine Sullivan. A while back we found out that Jack Kelly's real name was Francis Sullivan. We made the connection and figured out that you two were brother and sister".

I stared at them blankly. Jack really was my brother? I felt as if my world had just shifted upside down and I was still trying to cling to the sky. I hadn't quite hit the ground yet.

"Regardless of that fact, you need to keep your act up Actor. You're doing a good job from what Holler's told me. I want an update on Spot and Jack," Night said, pushing the conversation forward.

"Well, Spot now suspects something because of the cigarette Holler left. I have a feeling he's going to be all over my ass now. And I have heard some whispers among the Newsies of an alliance between Manhattan and Brooklyn over something. And I thought I heard the name Black Kings mentioned a few times but when I asked the guys about it they just told me not to worry about it. That they would take care of it, whatever "it" is," I explained to Night, trying desperately to remember everything I needed to tell him.

Night's face didn't give anything away, but I knew the idea of a Manhattan and Brooklyn alliance worried him. Those two groups combined would be a formidable fighting force. Whatever, we'd still kick their asses.

"Okay, that's good to know. Now get back to the LH before anyone questions where you are," Night said before turning and walking away.

Holler threw me a quick wink and followed after Night. I stayed standing there for a little while, watching them as they walked away and quietly disappeared between the nearby trees. Finally, I turned and started my long journey back to the LH.

There were a lot of thoughts weighing heavily on my mind. I was so engrossed in them I didn't realize I was at the LH until I literally ran into the door. Cursing, I managed to open the door. I saw Mush, Boots, Blink, and Race at the top of the stairs and went up to join them. Boots was the first to notice me.

"Hey Actor! Any luck finding your money?" He asked.

"Yep. They had fallen out right where I sell my papes," I grinned broadly at them, holding up the two quarters I had gotten from selling earlier.

"Wow, I can't believe you found them! Want to try your luck at the racetracks with me?" Race asked, looking at me in awe.

I laughed and shook my head.

"Maybe we should change your name to Lucky, it seems to fit you better," Mush grinned at me.

"Nah, I like my name," I replied.

The door down the hallway opened and Jack stepped out of the room. He saw our group immediately and his eyes focused on me.

"Actor I need to talk to you really quick," Jack said casually, leaning on the doorframe.

"Sure thing Cowboy," I replied, flashing a big smile for him.

A flicker of guilt flashed through his eyes and I internally smirked. If he was going to yell at me, I might as well try to make it better for me by making him feel really guilty. I squeezed past the guys and walked down the hallway. When I entered the room I saw Spot sitting down in a chair on the other side of the room, absorbed in a deck of cards. At least, he looked interested in it. But I knew his attention was entirely on me.

The click of the door closing behind me brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to face Jack.

"So what do you want to talk about Jack?" I asked.

He didn't say anything at first and I saw his eyes flicker back to where Spot was sitting. Clearing his throat, he began to speak tentatively.

"At the party last night, you went outside after you won the poker game against Race, right?"

"Right"

"And you were alone out there?"

"Yep"

"So if you were alone, how do you explain the cigarette smoke Spot smelled last night and the cigarette he found on the ground?"

I narrowed my eyes at Jack and looked over my shoulder at Spot. He was no longer playing with the cards and instead stared back at me with his usual cold glare.

"I told Spot already, he probably smelled the smoke from upstairs. And anyone could've dropped the cigarette, I'm not the only one who goes outside," I replied, turning back to face Jack.

"I didn't smell anything from upstairs, no one was smoking upstairs in the room. We don't allow that. And it wasn't just anyone's cigarette cause it was still warm when I picked it up," Spot stated.

"Well maybe it was from someone before me," I retorted, refusing to turn around and look at him.

"Cigarettes don't stay warm that long," Spot said.

"Was someone else out there with you that night?" Jack asked, taking a step towards me.

"No. No one else was out there. I… I was the one smoking that cigarette," I said, bowing my head in mock shame.

"Why didn't you tell us that Actor?" Jack asked.

"Cause… cause I thought that you'd be disappointed in me. I know you and the other guys don't like the idea of us girls smoking. It's just that, I wanted to try it. Just to see what it was like. I didn't like it though. It was nasty," I explained, giving off the impression that I was ashamed of myself.

Jack was about to speak again but Spot cut him off.

"I don't believe you. If you were smoking and standing, why did you have to stretch when I came out?"

"Because I wasn't standing. I was sitting the entire time," I retorted.

"Then how'd the cigarette end up so far away from the step?"

"I flicked it"

"You suck at flicking things"

"Lucky shot," I growled, turning slightly to glare at him.

He glared back at me, obviously not believing my story. I give him credit, he can see through liars pretty well. But I had Jack on my side this time, so Spot had to go along with it for now.

"If that's all you wanted to talk to me about then I'll get going now. I'm supposed to head over to Medda's" I said coldly, walking towards the door.

My fingers had barely touched the handle when Jack spoke again.

"Actor"

I paused but didn't move.

"Yes Jack?"

After a long pause he finally managed to ask,

"….Do you have a brother?"

I stayed frozen on the door handle, my heart racing. Shit, he should not be asking me a question like this now.

"I did" I replied quietly.

"What happened to him?" he asked, and I could hear the suppressed interest in his voice.

"He walked out on me and my family when I was only six. I don't even remember him that well. I never heard from him again. For all I know he isn't even in New York anymore. Hell, he could be dead and I wouldn't know" I replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"If you could see him again, would you want to?"

I paused for a long while as I thought about this very seriously. Would I seriously want to see my brother again if I didn't know who he was or where he was? But coming to that conclusion would take time and Jack wanted an answer now. I didn't want to waste any more time standing here. I needed to get out fast.

"No," I replied, before opening the door and rushing out of the room.

I practically tripped as I flew down the stairs and out the door. That whole conversation had made my head spin and I was becoming overwhelmed by everything I had learned today. With Jack as my brother and Spot on my ass, I needed to get away. And Medda's was the perfect escape.


	6. Chapter 6

**No words can describe how sorry I am for taking so long to continue this story… I seriously have no excuses. I hope you enjoy this chapter because more will soon follow! **

It didn't take long for me to reach Medda's. I had decided to sprint as fast as possible in hopes of avoiding seeing anyone and to try and clear my head. So many things were going wrong right now and I hated it. Jack could be on the verge of telling me that he's my brother, Night and Holler had conveniently withheld that important piece of information from me, Spot was busy painting a target on my forehead, and to top it all off no Newsie would tell me a single damn thing about the Black Kings! I was sick and tired of it.

When I finally reached the theatre I pushed through the entrance doors into the main hallway. It was a little odd seeing the theatre when it wasn't lit up and shining in the night. I adored coming here at night with the other Newsies, even if the shows weren't really to my liking.

It was dead silent as I slowly made my way through the tables and chairs randomly scattered around. During the day there usually weren't many people around, especially when there wasn't a show later that night. My footsteps echoed on the wood floor as I continued to make my way towards the stage.

"Medda? It's Actor. You said you wanted to see me?" I called through the theatre.

I had met Medda on my second day as a Newsie and she had immediately attached herself to me. Right away she declared that she would protect me from the rambunctious Newsie boys. Of course all the boys immediately protested that they would never harm me, but she still whisked me away to give me a personal tour of the theatre. We ended up in her dressing room talking for the next four hours. I had to admit, although at first she seemed like a complete airhead, she knew a lot and was great at giving advice about everything, even on how to sell papers. I decided that she would be useful in gaining important information about things and people.

I had almost reached the bridge that led to the stage when something caught my eye. I swear there was movement in one of the hallways to my left but when I turned and looked there was no one there.

"Hello?" I called out, taking a cautious step towards the hallway.

"Actor! Darling, I'm so glad you're here!" A voice came from the stage.

I turned and saw Medda appear from behind the curtains on the right side of the stage.

"Wouldn't miss seeing you for the world Medda," I replied grinning.

"Oh you sweet talker you. You're just like Jack," she said as she crossed the bridge to meet me.

My smile faltered for a second as I recalled the conversation I had just had with Jack and Spot. Night was not going to be happy with me or Holler when I told him what had happened. However, I shook those thoughts away and quickly put on my mask again as Medda finally reached me.

"Look at you sweetie. You seem tired, is everything alright?" she asked worriedly, inspecting me up and down.

"No I'm fine Medda. I'm just glad I can have this time to relax with you and get away from all of those crazy boys," I laughed.

"They need to be nicer to you. Only one week and already they're pushing you around"

"Yeah well it didn't help that I met Spot Conlon himself last night. I think that guy already has it out for me," I sighed.

"Did something happen already? Did he try something… ungentlemanly?" she asked, lowering her voice at the last part.

"No, no nothing like that. I doubt any of the guys would let him, especially Jack. I just got into a slight disagreement with him"

"What was it about? Nothing serious I hope"

"No. Oddly enough it was because he thought I was smoking at a party, which I was, but it was only for a second, so it wasn't a big deal. I think he blew the whole thing out of proportion," I explained.

"You tried smoking? Dear, that's terribly unladylike," Medda shook her head in disappointment.

"I know which is why I wanted to keep it a secret from the guys. I hated it anyway so I'm not going to do it again. But Spot was obsessed with the whole thing," I replied.

"Hmm, maybe it's because he likes you," Medda said, winking at me.

I blushed slightly and shook my head.

"No way. I've only met him once and he did not seem to be giving me a very friendly vibe. Besides, from what I've heard he has girls falling all over him" I said.

"Don't count yourself out you're a very pretty girl. Anyway, enough of this talk about boys. I have something I really want to show you," Medda said, linking our arms together and leading me towards the backstage.

"Really? What is it?" I asked, intrigued.

"Guess," she replied, giggling.

"Hmm… did you get the posters for the new show?"

"Nope, I'm still waiting for those to come in"

"What about a new song for the show?"

"I do want to show you one but that can wait until later. Guess again"

"You've got me stumped Medda. Just tell me what it is," I begged her.

"Alright, just close your eyes. It's right through this door," she said, motioning to the door we had just reached.

I obediently closed my eyes and allowed Medda to lead me into the room. She led me a few steps in before stopping me.

"Alright. Now open your eyes," she told me.

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted with the most beautiful dress I have ever seen in my life. It was a light pink satin that practically shimmered in the light. The shoulders of the mannequin it was on were completely uncovered yet the sweetheart neckline did not go low enough to be considered indecent. From the shoulders and moving down the waist in a V shape was an area of pleated white silk that then extended down to the end of the dress in an upside down V. The silk also extended all around the bottom of the dress so that it fell elegantly on the floor. The sleeves were puffy and ended at the elbow and were covered in detailed white lace. The same white lace also bordered the pleated silk all around the dress. Two small flowers with pearls at the center adorned the points where the silk and satin met at the shoulders. Around the neck of the mannequin was a pink and black beaded choker with a delicate white porcelain portrait of an elegant lady.

I moved in a trancelike state towards the dress, in awe of its beauty. I had only ever dreamed of dresses like these on the rich and elegant women I saw going about on Fleet Street. Scratch that, this dress looked ten times better than anything those women would ever wear to a ball. It looked out of a fairytale. I reached out to touch the satin but my hand hovered an inch away from the fabric, afraid to touch the beautiful dress and break the spell.

"Go ahead, you can touch it," Medda said softly from behind me.

I touched the satin and gasped softly in shock. It felt like water moving underneath my hand. I slowly touched the flowers and the lace and the pleated silk, each one adding to my delight. When I had thoroughly examined the dress I turned back to Medda.

"Where did you get this?" I asked softly, still blown away by the beauty of it.

"An old friend of mine who recently moved out West gave it to me. She was a high class lady and she said she had no use for the dress anymore since there weren't going to be any balls where she was going. Isn't it gorgeous?" she explained, walking to my side and tracing one of the lace sleeves with her hand.

"Absolutely beautiful," I replied.

"I haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet. I fear that I might break the magic spell over this dress if I put it on," she laughed.

I smiled and nodded my head.

"Well, I did say that I have a song to sing for you so I must insist that you come back to the stage with me," she explained, grabbing my hand.

I reluctantly tore my eyes from the dress and turned to follow her. When she saw my disappointment at having to leave the dress she laughed.

"Don't worry darling, the dress will stay right here. You can come by anytime to look at it"

"Thanks Medda" I replied, grinning broadly at her.

We made our way back to the stage where a piano was sitting in the middle of the stage. I took a seat at the piano bench while Medda stepped forward to face the theatre and started belting out her newest song.

_I love you truly, truly dear,__  
__Life with its sorrow, life with its tears__  
__Fades into dreams when I feel you are near__  
__For I love you truly, truly dear._

I listened to the song quietly, absorbing the words and notes. It was beautiful, really, and Medda actually sang it in a sweet, gentle tone, unlike her usual sultry vaudeville tone. Once she was done I clapped enthusiastically.

"That was absolutely breathtaking Medda. Bravo," I cheered for her.

"Why thank you darling," she said, curtsying.

"Are you going to sing that at the next show?" I asked.

"I think so. It's such a lovely song and I do adore singing it," she sighed.

"You should wear that dress when you sing it! There won't be a dry eye in the theatre!" I exclaimed.

"Oh that's a wonderful idea! I might just do that!" she smiled.

She picked up a piece of sheet music off of the top of the piano and started studying it.

"This here is another piece I've been working on. A little less sweet, more sultry. I was thinking about adding it into my show," she started to explain.

I tuned her out as she droned on about the new song. Instead, I was focused on how to ask my big question to her about the Black Kings. I studied her carefully, figuring out the plan in my head.

It was time to act.

**Thanks for reading! I know the description of the dress is really long and detailed and that's because I actually have a doll with that dress so I used the doll as my inspiration. It really is a gorgeous dress. And the song is an actually vaudeville song released in 1901. When I found it I thought it was absolutely perfect. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 is up! YAY!**

I sat at the piano plunking out random notes while carefully observing Medda. I was doubtful that she knew anything about the Black Kings but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I just had to play my cards right and live up to my nickname.

"Medda," I said slowly, switching my gaze back to the piano keys.

"Yes dear?" she replied.

"I-I was just wondering about something…" I started hesitantly.

"Of course, what is it?" she asked, walking over to the piano and sitting down next to me.

"It's just… never mind, you wouldn't know. And I feel bad about asking you," I stumbled out, not looking her in the eye.

"Don't worry sweetheart, maybe I do know the answer," she said, touching my shoulder lightly.

"Ok. This is kind of an odd question, but… what do you know about the Black Kings?" I asked, glancing over to gauge her reaction.

At first she seemed surprised before her expression became more guarded.

"Why do you want to know about something like that?" she asked carefully.

"I know I shouldn't be asking something like this but it's just that I keep hearing the boys talk about it but they won't tell me anything. From what I've heard they don't sound good. And I know that they're all trying to be good guys and protect me but to be honest it's kind of making me more worried not knowing anything about this thing that seems so serious," I rushed out, trying to sound apologetic and pathetic.

Medda's face softened when she heard my explanation.

"That's a perfectly acceptable reason darling. I understand, sometimes the boys can be so overprotective that they don't realize that it's causing more harm than good. I think that you do need to know about these things so you can protect yourself," she said.

I gave her a small smile of appreciation.

"Let's see. You know how there are gangs all throughout New York, right? Well, the Black Kings are a gang in Manhattan. And unfortunately they aren't very nice. They're called that because they wear all black and have the egos to rival kings. They almost always go out at night. There are occasionally some clashes between them and the Newsies but it's usually not bad and no one ever gets seriously hurt. But don't worry about it because Jack's going to fix everything so you don't have to worry anymore," she explained slowly.

I nodded my head in understanding, pretending to be contemplating all of this. Unfortunately she didn't really give me any information that I didn't already know but the fact that she had said that Jack was going to "fix everything" just supported the idea of a Brooklyn and Manhattan alliance. It would also explain why Spot was still hanging around here instead of getting his ass back to Brooklyn.

"Thank you so much Medda. It makes me feel a lot better knowing that," I said, looking as grateful as possible.

"Anytime kid," she replied, hugging me.

"One more thing. Can you not mention this to Jack or anyone else? I don't want them to find out and go crazy and worry about me"

"Of course. I promise I won't say a word," she smiled at me.

"Thanks. I'm so glad I can talk to you about these things Medda," I grinned at her.

"Now let's get off this dreadful topic and talk about something more exciting!" Medda exclaimed.

"I agree," I replied, laughing.

After that our conversation turned to more tedious topics such as boys and clothing and Medda's upcoming show. It's not that I disliked talking to Medda it's just that I needed to get back to the Lodging House before Jack threw another fit. Eventually I had to cut off Medda.

"I'm really sorry Medda but I should be getting back before it gets dark," I cut into our conversation before Medda could start talking again.

"Of course dear. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time you know how I like to talk on and on," she said, laughing.

"Thank you for showing me that dress and talking to me," I said, standing up from the piano bench.

"You're welcome! Come back soon and make sure the boys don't get too crazy," she said, giving me a big hug.

"I will, Medda. I'll see you soon," I replied, heading off the stage and down the bridge.

I was making my way through the tables and chairs again when the same flash of movement caught my eye. I turned quickly and swore I saw a foot disappearing down the side hallway but I wasn't sure. I decided to ask Medda if anyone else was in the theatre today.

"Medda-" I started to ask before realizing that Medda had already left the stage and disappeared backstage.

The muffled sound of a door shutting caught my attention and I immediately ran to the back of the theatre. Bursting through the doors, I looked around and spotted a small boy darting down the street through the crowds. I could barely make out the handmade slingshot stuck in the boy's back pocket. Brooklyn.

'_That must be one of Spot's spies'_

I sighed. There was no point in going after the boy. I would definitely be seen if I tried to run after him and that would just bring up more trouble with Spot. He would try to spin it so that it seemed like I was trying to attack the boy or something. Shaking my head, I headed off towards the Lodging House. The sun was close to being eclipsed by the tall building and I walked at a quick pace. Although I was used to running around at night, there was a big difference between a girl Newsie being out and an obscure, feared Black King being out. Besides, the boys were probably going to scold me for staying out so late anyway.

Glancing one last time at the setting sun, I sped up to cover the blocks that lay between me and the Lodging House.

Page Break thing~~~~~~

A lone figure quietly leaned on a brick wall three blocks from the theatre. The hat on his head shaded his face in the dimming evening sun, but there was no mistaking the black, gold-tipped cane that hung from his belt, ready to be used at a moment's notice. Spot Conlon quietly observed the thinning crowds going back and forth across the street, smoking a newly stolen cigarette.

His eyes caught a quick movement down the street heading towards him and he carefully studied the approaching figure without turning his head. A small boy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes and skin tan from months in the sun ran up to Spot, panting from the run.

"Did you do what I asked you to?" Spot asked the boy calmly, directing his gaze back to the people walking down the streets.

"Yeah Spot I did. I followed her to the theatre, just like you asked me to," the little boy stated proudly.

"Anything interesting happen that I should know about?"

"Well, at first they just talked about stupid stuff. Being tired and stuff. Actor did mention you though when she was explaining to Medda about how you confronted her about smoking at a party," the boy recited.

"Really" Spot said in a casual voice.

"Yep. But she told Medda that she thought that you just blew the whole thing out of proportion. And then Medda said that for some reason that means that you like her, but Actor denied it. Girls," the boy made a disgusted face.

Spot chuckled but said nothing.

"Then Medda showed her a dress and they were obsessing over it for a while and then she sang a song for Actor. It was a really pretty song. I love hearing Medda sing. And then something interesting happened. Actor just randomly asked Medda what she knew about the Black Kings. At first Medda was surprised so Actor explained that she kept hearing that name but didn't know what it meant. So Medda gave her a brief outline of the gang but left out the part of our alliance and other important stuff. Actor seemed satisfied so the topic stopped. Then it was more unimportant stuff until Actor left a few minutes ago," the boy explained.

Spot had listened intently to the entire report and now processed the information through his head. Finally, he straightened up and turned to face the boy.

"You're a good birdie Navy. Good job. Now get back to Brooklyn before it gets too dark," he said, nodding at Navy.

The boy smiled, bursting with pride at being complimented by the great Spot Conlon.

"Ok. See ya Spot!" Navy said before turning and sprinting in the direction of Brooklyn.

Spot watched him go and waited until the boy was out of sight, occasionally taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Black Kings, huh," he muttered, staring off into space.

Suddenly, he looked down at the cigarette in his hand and his eyes darkened. Throwing the practically new cigarette down on the ground, he stepped on it before heading off in the direction of the Manhattan Lodging House.

**Did Spot just make the connection between the cigarette and the Black Kings? The drama…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies! Not sure if I did that in previous chapters but I figured it was time for a reminder so I don't get sued or something. **

I reached the Lodging House just as the sun set and the streets were silent. Upon opening the door, however, I was met with a scene that was far from quiet. There was a loud poker game going in the back corner and boys were running all around. I had hoped to enter relatively unnoticed but that dream was crushed when a nine-year-old boy named Tiger called out,

"Actor's here!"

Immediately greetings were shouted at me and over the din I heard Race yell from the table in the back,

"Hey, Actor, come over here!"

I made my way through the crowd of boys, nodding and smiling at all the boys. Some of them slapped me on the back when I passed, which was something that I absolutely hated, but I just kept up the grin on my face and pushed my annoyance to the back of my head. As I approached the table I could see that Race, Kid Blink, Jack, and Mush were all involved in an intense poker game. It was obvious that Mush had a bad hand by the way his eyebrows were furrowed together and how he kept looking around the table nervously. Blink seemed the same way, while Race and Jack were their usual confident selves. Race looked up from his hand when I reached the table and grinned at me.

"Look who's finally back! We thought Medda was gonna keep you there all night"

"Nah, I told her I had to get back here before it got too dark. Otherwise she would've kept on talking all night," I replied.

"Well you're late," Jack cut in, "It's dark outside already"

"I'm fine, the sun barely just set. And to think that I hurried to get back here just to put up with this criticism"

"Just hurry back faster next time," Jack said, turning his attention back to his cards.

"What am I gonna have to do, run?" I snorted.

"If that's what it takes," Jack replied.

"Oh, yes your majesty," I said sarcastically, giving an exaggerated bow.

"Aww lighten up Actor. Jack's just being protective. Here, come and join in," Race motioned to the empty chair next to him.

"Ok, but I think I'll sit out a couple more rounds," I replied, taking a seat.

I watched the game unfold as the stakes got higher and the pot grew bigger. Mush folded almost immediately and Blink followed soon after. Race and Jack continued flipping over cards and adding more and more money to the game. By now the pot was a whopping $1.05. I had no idea how these boys could afford these kinds of games and I was pretty sure alcohol hadn't been involved yet.

Finally, it was down to the last hand. The whole group of people surrounding the table held its breath as Race and Jack stared at each other, neither one wanting to lay their cards down first. After a pause, Jack laid his cards on the table. He had a full house, three queens and two sevens. Race stared at the cards for a beat, his stone cold face revealing nothing. Finally, he also laid down his cards and revealed his hand: four of a kind, four fives and one jack. Everyone silently regarded the cards for a moment, calculating who had won. Race leaned back in his chair and grinned triumphantly. Suddenly the group exploded in a whirlwind of everyone talking at once and exclaiming about how exciting the game had been. I just sat there and watched Jack as he groaned about the money he had lost.

The sound of the door slamming shut caught my attention. Before I had even turned my head I could tell who it was by the way people quieted down and the greetings called out respectfully: Spot Conlon had entered the building. I carefully watched him as he crossed the room and headed towards the poker table. There was no way to know what that birdie had told Spot and how he had reacted so I had to be cautious about what I did and said.

"Hey Spot. Where have you been?" Jack said, nodding to Spot in greeting as he reached the table.

"Around. I got stuff to do, Jacky-boy," Spot replied, sweeping his eyes around the table.

He rested his gaze on me and I gave him a nod in greeting. He didn't return it and instead turned back to Jack and started talking to him. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his ridiculous behavior and instead turned to Race.

"Are you going to deal another hand? Cause I'll join in this time," I said.

Race was about to respond when Spot cut him off.

"How about a little one-on-one poker game between you and me Actor?"

I regarded Spot carefully and he just stared back at me in that icy way of his.

"No thanks Spot. I'd rather not lose all of my money," I replied, shaking my head.

"We don't have to play for money. I just want to see how good you are," Spot said casually, taking a seat next to Jack.

He pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling them. At first I thought there was something weird about his way of shuffling and then it hit me. He was cheating. I had seen my friend Joker shuffle cards like that before because then he would always know what cards were going to be in each person's hand. Spot wanted to know exactly what I had so he could find out how good I was at lying.

'_Well played Spot, well played_' I thought.

Spot dealt the cards rapidly before handing the deck to Race. I picked up my cards and saw that I had a two of hearts and an eight of hearts. I glanced up at Spot who was studying me intently and hadn't even bothered to pick up his cards.

'_You smug little…_' I thought.

Race proceeded to flip over the first three cards. It was a ten of hearts, three of spades, and six of clubs. I noticed that I had the start of a flush and prayed that it would continue. Race flipped over the next card and it was the jack of hearts. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Spot glance at his cards but when I looked up he was back to studying me with his stone cold poker face. Race flipped over the last card and it was the ace of hearts. I had a flush! Spot motioned for me to show my cards first.

"Flush," I said, laying them down on the table.

Everyone looked expectantly at Spot, waiting for him to flip his over. He casually picked them up and tossed them down on the table. He had a king of hearts and a queen of hearts.

"Royal flush," he said, a smirk crawling onto his face.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"See? That's why I don't want to play against you for money," I said.

Spot just stood up and stuck out his hand for me to shake. I was a little bit surprised at this gesture but I figured it was solely because all the guys were standing around and he didn't want to look like a jerk.

I also stood up and shook his hand, looking at him right in the eye. After a few seconds I let go and sat down casually, leaving Spot standing. He was still studying me and he opened his mouth to say something but Jack interrupted him.

"Say, Actor, I was just thinking. Normally when a new kid comes along we ask when their birthday is so we can have a party for them. And if they don't know when it is then we give them one. Do you know when yours is?" He asked, looking at me expectantly.

I stared back at him in surprise.

"That was completely random," I said, chuckling and shaking my head.

"But Jack has a point, we forgot to ask you. When is your birthday?" Race asked, nudging me with his elbow.

"It's June 20th," I replied, before realizing I had just said my real birthday.

"But today's June 17th… Actor your birthday's in three days!" Mush exclaimed.

"Yeah…so?" I asked.

"We almost missed it. Were you even going to tell us it was your birthday?" Kid Blink asked.

"Probably not. It's not that big of a deal guys," I said, turning slightly red at all the attention.

"Not a big deal! It's the most important day of the year for you kid," Race said, slapping me on the shoulder.

The boys were all excited and talking amongst each other trying to figure out what they should do for my birthday. I glanced over and saw Jack talking in a hushed voice to Spot about something. I mentally hit myself for saying my real birthday because now Jack just had more reason to confront me about the sister thing.

'_Really Actor? Is it that hard to say one of the other 364 days you had at your disposal?'_

"I got it! We should have a party at Medda's for Actor's birthday!"

Mush's voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

"That's a great idea Mush!" Race exclaimed and all the other boys nodded in agreement.

"Really guys, you don't have to. I don't need a whole party," I protested.

"Sure we do. We can celebrate your birthday and you can meet some guys from the other boroughs as well. Besides, Jack's been needing to have a leader's meeting for some time now, right Jack?" Race explained.

Jack looked up from his conversation with Spot and flashed Race a grin.

"Sure Race. This party sounds perfect. Although, it won't be a party without Brooklyn," He said, turning to face Spot.

"Brooklyn will be there," Spot said.

"Perfect! This'll be a great party Actor," Race said, turning back to face me.

I grinned back at him, knowing I had no say in the matter. Besides, a party with some of the other boroughs sounded like a great idea. It would be the perfect time to get in some spying and find out more about what Jack had planned.

**Well not a lot happened in this chapter but it's all going to set up stuff for later chapters. Hope you liked it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I was surprised and happy at how fast this chapter came to me! Unfortunately, it also means that the next chapter might take a little bit longer to write… but anyway, enjoy!**

I lay in my bed and listened for any signs of movement that would tell me someone was up also. It was close to one in the morning and the entire Lodging House was pitch black and filled with snoring. After the excitement with the whole birthday party thing there had been a few more small poker games before Kloppman yelled at all of us to get to sleep. I had drifted off occasionally but for the most part I tried to stay awake, waiting for the clock to strike one. Night had sent me a note to tell me to meet him and Holler at the Manhattan docks a little past one. I wanted to complain but nighttime was when a lot of Black Kings stuff went on so I held my tongue. Besides, it would be a hell of a lot easier to slip out when everyone was dead asleep.

Finally, I heard the soft sound of the old grandfather clock downstairs strike one. I carefully sat up and slipped on my shoes, all the while listening to make sure no one woke up. It was extremely dark in the room but I had already memorized the way to the door and the light from the windows would help a little. Slowly, I stood up and walked silently over to the door. Luckily it was ajar so I just opened it slightly before slipping out. I had decided that the stairs were too creaky so I slowly slid down the banister and landed softly at the base of the stairs. Going over to the front door, I turned the knob and slowly opened it. It creaked loudly and I froze, but there was no movement upstairs to indicate that anyone was up. I opened the door the rest of the way and breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't creak again. Slipping out the door, I shut it quietly before making my way out into the dark Manhattan streets.

It was silent throughout the city. All of the shops were closed down at this hour on this side of town, so I really didn't have to worry about running into anyone. Still, I walked in the street so that I could avoid the alleys. I knew from my years of experience as a Black King that the easiest way to grab or kill someone was a sneak attack from a dark alley. By standing in the road, I made sure there was plenty of space and reaction time between me and an attacker.

I quickly walked through the streets towards the docks. It was a bit of a trip to reach them but I didn't mind. I loved walking through the streets at night. Probably because I'd spent my last seven years of existence doing so.

I finally made it to the start of the docks after about twenty minutes. There was a specific dock that Night liked that I would find him at. It was the 21st dock you reached if you were facing the Brooklyn Bridge and decided to walk to your left down by the shore. I had no idea why he liked that dock so much but that was the one place you were guaranteed to find him when all he said was "Meet me at the docks".

I slowly counted them off as I walked down the back street. Once I hit the 17th dock, I could see up ahead two figures on one of the docks. I was pretty sure it was Night and Holler but just to be safe I approached slowly, waiting for any sign that it wasn't them. I was fairly close when I heard Holler's voice through the darkness.

"Took you long enough Eclipse" **(A/N Eclipse is Actor's name in the Black Kings gang)**

"Sorry Holler. Sorry Night," I replied.

Once I reached the dock I could make out the two of them clearly in the moonlight. Both were dressed in the customary black pants, shirts, and hats and both of them had their bandannas pulled down and off their faces.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked Night.

"Yeah. It's been a little bit since we've gotten a report so I thought I would check in on you," he replied.

"Sorry about that. Things have been relatively quiet with Manhattan. Still didn't hear anything about us from the boys. Medda did tell me a little bit about us but most of it was unimportant except for the fact that apparently Jack is going to "take care of us". And Spot's still suspicious about me. So suspicious in fact, that he sent a birdie to follow me at Medda's," I explained.

"You need to get Spot off your back. I don't care how," Night said.

"You really shouldn't go around smoking Eclipse, that's what started this," Holler said, looking at me with a straight face.

I glared at him but he just winked back at me.

"Anything else?" Night asked.

"Actually, yes. I told the boys it's my birthday in a few days and they've decided to throw me a party at Medda's. Apparently some of the other boroughs are going to be there as well, cause Jack's been meaning to have a leaders meeting," I said.

Night and Holler exchanged a glance and Holler grinned.

"Sounds like the perfect time to do some more undercover work Eclipse," Holler said.

"I'll do my best. Although a few more people might help out. I don't have ears all over the place," I said carefully, glancing at Night.

He stayed silent for a moment, considering my request.

"I'll see who I can spare. There's bound to be a few people willing to go to a party," He said finally.

"Thanks. Is there anything that I should know about?" I asked.

"Yeah. When that birthday party of yours comes up, watch out for Queens. We've been having some trouble in those areas recently," Holler said.

"I'll be sure to do that"

"That's all for now. Get back to bed kid," Holler grinned, shooing me away with one of his hands.

"Aye aye captain. See you later Night," I replied, nodding at both of them before turning around and walking away.

I quickly made my way back the way I came, counting the docks backwards in my head as I traveled further away from Night and Holler. The night soon engulfed me and I knew that I was out of their sight. Still, they would be able to hear my footsteps so while I continued walking I took one last glance back at them. The night made it hard for me to see, but the two figures were still there, sitting on the dark in silence.

Turning my head back around, I quickened my pace. This party could be my best chance at finding out some much needed answers about the Newsies' plans. Night and Holler were counting on me and I couldn't let them down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holler and Night sat quietly at the dock, watching Actor as she quietly disappeared into the night. Their silence stretched on even after they were both sure she was gone and on her way back to the Lodging House. The river ran calmly under their feet, freezing cold water a deep black color, illuminated only by the moon. Finally, Night's voice broke the silence.

"More trouble in Queens, huh?" Night said, looking out over the river.

"Yep. More than normal. I don't know what's going on over there. It's like some of our spies just stopped talking," Holler sighed, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair.

"It probably has something to do with that new gang that just popped up. They've been getting way too much power lately," Night replied.

"If they join up with the Newsies we're screwed. Even a gang of our size and power can't handle that many people. Not to mention we can't hold any territory in Brooklyn with Spot Conlon over there. And now Queens and Manhattan are rebelling?" Holler groaned, visibly frustrated.

"We just have to hold our ground and keep going about our business. I've been the leader of this gang for five years now. I'm not about to let that all slip away just because some Newsies and gang wannabes think they can stand up to us," Night said, the anger in his voice apparent.

The two fell into a silence again, contemplating the many problems they'd recently found out about. Holler turned his head towards Night to speak but hesitated. Although Night was gazing out at the river, he could see that Holler wanted to ask something, but he waited for Holler to speak first. Finally, Holler made up his mind and decided to say what he was thinking.

"Do you think we should make Eclipse leave the Newsies soon? If Spot keeps nosing around and finds out the truth, she's as good as dead"

"No. She's the best we've got. And we don't have the time to get someone else in. Besides, if she left now it would seem suspicious," Night said.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just worried about her, that's all," Holler said, gazing out in the direction that Eclipse had just gone.

"Me too. But we've got bigger problems to worry about. Let's go," Night replied, standing up and walking off the dock.

Holler followed suit and the two of them disappeared into the shadows of a nearby alley.

**Night and Holler for the win! I felt like I needed to add them in more because it's been mainly about the Newsies. Not that that's a bad thing **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Unfortunately my prediction came true about how this chapter would take me a bit longer to write. I was stuck on how to begin but thankfully I finally got this part written. I'm really excited about the next few chapters because they are going to be full of drama and awesomeness so hopefully I can write and post those faster than this one!**

The next few days were a blur of excitement for everyone except me. The boys were all thrilled beyond belief about this party coming up. They kept on raving about how Medda was making sure that everything was going to be decorated and how they had gotten Queens to agree to come. I had smiled and nodded and acted like I cared, but to tell the truth, I wasn't really looking forward to the party. I guess some of it had to do with the fact that normally on my birthday some of my friends in the Black Kings would go with me to a bar in the south side of Manhattan and have a small party. It was always nice and I found myself wishing that I would be able to spend my birthday that way again.

It was the day of the party and I was lounging on a bench in the middle of a random park near Fleet Street. It was getting close to sunset and I knew that I should be getting back to the Lodging House but I couldn't bring myself to move. There was nothing I wanted to avoid more right now than a loud, crazy party. Sighing, I remembered what Night had told me about watching out for Queens. Even on my birthday I couldn't relax.

"Hey, Actor!"

I turned my head at the sound of someone calling my name and saw Mush and Race walking towards me. Grinning, I called out to them in greeting,

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is what are _you_ doing _here_," Race replied, "It's going to be time for the party soon, you should be back at the Lodging House"

"Sorry, I guess I lost track of time," I said, reluctantly standing up.

"You shouldn't be spending time alone on your birthday. Come on, let's go back," Mush said, putting his arm around my shoulders.

Race also swung his arm around my shoulders and the two of them proceeded to lead me out of the park.

"Ok," I replied, following them.

The three of us walked through Manhattan quickly since both Race and Mush were eager to get back to the Lodging House so that all of us could meet up with everyone and go to the party. According to them, the party started at sunset so most of the guys would try to get there then. After all, it wouldn't be good if some other borough showed up before us. I would probably get there a little later with some of the other girls who wanted to spend some time getting ready. None of us wore skirts to parties because we didn't want to and couldn't really afford them. Instead, the girls concentrated on making their faces and hair look extra pretty.

We reached the Lodging House and opened the door to find most of the boys milling about in the downstairs area. Mush and Race broke off to join the crowd and I made my way past the many boys up the staircase. It was relatively quiet on the second floor except for the loud commotion coming from the girls' room at the end of the hall. As I walked down the hallway I braced myself for the insanity I would have to deal with when I walked into the room. Reaching the door, I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. There was a slight pause in the craziness as the five girls in the room turned to see who entered but that quickly ended when Rose **(A/N Another girl Newsie! I know I already introduced three girls in a previous chapter but I thought I would add in two more just to make things more fun)** practically shrieked as a greeting and dragged me into the room. I was promptly forced to sit down at an empty seat in front of a vanity with my back facing a mirror. We had three "vanities" in the room, although they were really just wooden tables with chairs and mirrors that Kloppman had managed to scrounge up for us a.k.a. steal from the boys' washroom.

"What took you so long to get back here Actor?" Match said, sitting on the edge of her bed and braiding her hair.

"Sorry I lost track of time while I was selling," I replied, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"I can't believe you lost track of your time on your birthday," Glasses said, taking her glasses on and off in front of a mirror, trying to decide whether or not to wear them.

"It happens," I shrugged.

"Unfortunately it means we have less time to get you ready," Rose sighed.

"Oh you don't have to do anything to me, I'm fine with going the way I look right now," I said, holding up my hands in protest.

"Of course we have to get you ready! It's your birthday so you have to look your best for all those cute boys from Brooklyn and Queens," Firelight said, walking over with some makeup in her hands that Medda had given us.

"Fine, do whatever you want, as long as you promise not to make it too over the top," I said in defeat.

"We promise!" Rose and Firelight said in unison.

I sat still and let the two girls have their fun with my hair and face. Rose took my hair out of the French braid I had put it in and started to brush it while Firelight was applying god-knows-what to my face. While they were doing that I took the chance to study the other girls. Match had her hair in a beautiful side braid and had darkened her lashes and outlined her eyes with something to make them pop. Glasses had her hair in a messy bun and had decided to wear her glasses but was trying to make up for it by applying more eye shadow. Tear had decided against doing anything more than just brushing out her hair. Firelight had also darkened her lashes and applied eye shadow and had thrown her hair into a low ponytail. Rose looked the best out of all of us though. She had curled her hair and pinned it up beautifully. How she had done all that in the time she had dumbfounded me. She had also darkened her lashes, used eye shadow, put blush on, and made her lips look a lovely rose shade. To tell the truth I was kind of jealous of these beautiful girls. Being a Black King, I always had my face covered with a bandanna and my hair stuffed under a hat. Appearance was often the least of my worries and it showed through my lack of knowledge of beauty and makeup stuff.

"All done!"

Rose's voice shook me out of my thoughts and I glanced up at her.

"Turn around and look at yourself!" she said, her hands clasped together in delight.

I spun around on the chair and was shocked by what I saw in the mirror. I looked… well, pretty. The French braid had made my hair soft and wavy and Rose had parted it on the side which, in my opinion, made me look older. My cheeks were a light pink and my eyes had been lightly outlined in brown and my lashes were darkened and lengthened.

"We put on eyeliner, mascara, powder, and blush. We didn't do anything to your lips cause they're a beautiful natural red," Firelight explained, tapping me lightly on my lips.

"Thank you," I said slowly, still admiring my appearance.

"Yay she likes it!" Rose squealed, clearly pleased with her work.

"Well girls, I think we should go. Queens has probably gotten there by now," Match said, glancing at her pocket watch.

"What about Brooklyn?" Tear asked.

"Oh you know Spot he won't get there until the party is well underway," Glasses replied, laughing.

I stood up and followed the other girls out of the room and down the stairs. I was at the back of the group and as I made my way to the bottom of the stairs I saw that Race, Blink, and Horseshoe **(A/N Random character of mine)** had stayed behind to walk with us and were now complimenting the other girls on how beautiful they looked. I awkwardly stood on the bottom step unnoticed, wanting to get to the party and get this night over with. Race glanced up from his conversation with Rose and saw me standing there. He stared at me for a second before breaking out into a huge smile.

"Wow Actor, you look beautiful," Race said.

Blink and Horseshoe looked up from the other girls and also grinned when they saw me.

"Yeah Actor you're stunning," Blink added.

"Absolutely breathtaking," Horseshoe chimed in.

I blushed from all their compliments. I wasn't used to ever being complimented on how I looked before. I mean, Break had told me once that every guy in New York would think I was pretty if they saw my face, but I had just thought he was being a good friend. It actually felt really nice to be getting all of this attention.

"Will you allow me the pleasure of being your escort for this evening?" Race asked formally, holding out his hand to me.

"The pleasure will be all mine," I replied smoothly, walking over to him and gracefully linking my arm through his.

Rose took Race's other arm, while Match and Tear went with Blink and Firelight and Glasses went with Horseshoe.

"C'mon guys, there's a party we're missing!" Race exclaimed, leading the way out of the Lodging House.

We had gotten lucky with the weather tonight. It had been hot this afternoon but the temperature had dropped once the sun went down. It was pleasant now and the walk was illuminated by the street lamps and moonlight. The entire time we were all laughing and joking around about the day's events and how Jack had once again outsmarted the Delancy brothers.

The walk seemed shorter than normal, however, and the theatre was soon within sight. It was all lit-up and we could all hear the muffled sound of a party inside. I fell quiet and observed the theatre as we approached, growing uneasy again at the thought of the party. Race noticed this almost immediately and turned his head towards me.

"You okay?" he asked, eyeing me carefully.

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

"I guess so…" I replied.

"You're nervous about being the center of attention at such a big party and about being around so many Newsies and people you've never even seen before," Rose stated smoothly.

I nodded my head, not saying anything.

We had almost reached the doors to the theatre when Race suddenly stopped both of us. The others stopped as well next to us but Race told them to go ahead inside. He waited until the door had closed behind them before turning to face me.

"Look Actor, I know you've only been here less than a month but you're a part of the Newsie family. The other boroughs are going to like you just as much as we do. And if for some reason they're crazy and don't, well, that's their loss. You need to walk in there with your head held high cause you have every right to be proud of yourself. It's your night girlie. Have some fun," Race said, squeezing my hand.

I stood there for a moment, taking in what he had said. It was touching and a great confidence booster, but it also reminded me of something. I am a member of the Black Kings. I am better than any other person in that theatre. To hell with the Newsies. I needed to get my act together and remember why I was here.

"You're the best Race. Thanks," I said finally, giving him a hug.

He hugged me back and when we parted he offered his arms to Rose and me again.

"Shall we? I can't wait to walk in there with the two most beautiful girls in all of Manhattan," Race said, winking at me.

I grinned back and linked arms with him. We all turned and made our way to the door. Race pushed it open with his foot and I took a deep breath as the three of us entered the theatre.

**A/N So I know there was a random point where I was describing what all of the girls had done to their hair and faces which may have seemed tedious but it had a point. I really wanted to emphasize Actor's powers of observation and her feeling of jealously about not knowing how to do hair or makeup because that will show up in a later chapter. Thanks for reading! And lots of thanks to the many people who have written reviews for this story!**


	11. Chapter 11

**The drama starts to unfold! Hope you enjoy.**

Walking into Medda's was like walking into a wall of sounds and sights. There were Newsies all over the place in groups, lounging at tables or leaning against the walls or mingling near the bar. That was the one great thing about New York: as long as you paid, bartenders didn't really care how old you were. Especially not at Medda's. I could see that all of Manhattan was here along with a lot of other boys I didn't recognize. I figured they had to be Queens since I couldn't see Spot anywhere.

"I'll be leaving you ladies now but I'll come find you two later. Rose, stick with Actor," Race said, nodding at each of us before heading off towards the bar.

Rose linked her arm with me and started to lead me through the mass of tables and people. There were a fair amount of girls there, except the vast majority of them weren't Newsies. It looked like people were mingling together but I could distinctly make out two groups that looked like one was made up of just Manhattan Newsies and the other just of Queens Newsies.

Rose was leading me towards the Manhattan group where I could see Blink and the others hanging out. We were passing by some of the table filled with boys and some girls from Queens. I could tell that some of the guys were staring at us as we passed but I kept my head up and stared straight ahead. My tactic worked well until a boy stood up at a table up ahead and stepped into our path.

"Hey there Rose," the guy said, smiling at Rose before turning to face me, "Who's your new friend?"

The guy was fairly cute and had shaggy blonde hair that almost fell into his eyes, which were a grayish color. He was only a few inches taller than me but I could tell that he was trying to make himself seem bigger.

"This is Actor. She's our newest Newsie and the birthday girl," Rose replied, sounding annoyed.

"Nice to meet you Actor. My name's Match," the guy said, sticking out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too," I said, shaking his hand.

"Would you two like to sit at our table? I can introduce you to some other Queens Newsies," Match said, staring mostly at me and nodding his head at the table behind him.

Match still hadn't released my hand so I lightly started to pull away. He let go immediately and casually put his hand down at his side, as if he hadn't noticed how long he had been holding my hand. I looked over at Rose and saw that she was glaring at Match and had her lips pursed together.

"Maybe later Match. We don't want to overwhelm her by introducing her to too many people right away," Rose said before turning and starting to drag me away.

I looked back over my shoulder at Match and smiled at him again. He smiled back and tipped his hat at me. Turning back around, I jerked slightly on Rose's arm to get her to slow down.

"So what's up with you and that Match guy?" I asked, studying her face carefully.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," She replied stiffly.

"If you say so," I said.

We reached the group of Manhattan Newsies and everyone shouted out greetings at us. Race was sitting there with two drinks in his hands and motioned for me to sit next in the chair next to him. I walked over and he handed me a glass bottle.

"Normally Jack doesn't let the girls drink but he makes an exception at parties. You're limited to only one beer though, okay?" he explained.

"Got it," I said, accepting the beer and sitting down.

I glanced around at the group and saw the usual crowd here: Jack, Blink, Mush, Crutchy, etc. It didn't look like there were too many of the younger kids here though. Kloppman was probably keeping them back at the Lodging House.

Rose was sitting on the opposite side of the group from me talking to Specs, so I took the opportunity to ask my number one informant about some stuff.

"Hey Race,"

"Yeah?" he said, turning away from the poker game he was watching.

"Do you know what's up with Rose and that guy from Queens named Match?" I asked, trying to seem innocent.

"Oh geez, you ran into him? I'm guessing Rose wasn't very happy," he sighed.

I shook my head in response.

"Well, about a year ago Match and a friend of Rose's named Cathy were going out. At that time Match was a wild kid who liked to gamble, drink, and fight. I remember Cathy bringing him back to the Lodging House a few times when he was drunk. Rose disapproved of him but she didn't want to say anything since Cathy liked him so much. One time though, Match managed to persuade Cathy to drink too and she got wasted. He was taking her back to the Lodging House when they got jumped by two guys. Match was also a little drunk too so he couldn't defend Cathy so they both got the crap beaten out of them. He basically dumped her the next day too. Rose never forgave him after that. He's cleaned up more now and is the second-in-command over in Queens. I would think that she doesn't want him ruining another one of her friends so if you think that he's good, don't say anything. Rose would go crazy," Race explained.

"I can see why," I said, taking a sip of my beer.

I actually remember Night ordering that hit on Match. I had been ordered to tag along and make sure everything went smoothly while two other guys did the dirty work. I had only watched from the shadows in the back of the alley so I hadn't seen Match's face clearly. But when we'd been introduced back there I'd had a feeling I'd seen him someplace.

"One more question," I said quickly.

"Ask anything you want,"

"Why aren't you in that poker game right now?" I said, nodding towards the game he had been watching closely.

"I figured I'd be nice to them and let them play a little bit before I jumped in and took all their money," Race grinned at me.

I laughed at him and he turned back to focus on the game. I tried to get interested as well but I was restless. Here I was at a party with all these Newsies and I wasn't doing anything. I should be spying and getting info. I needed to talk to Queens but going over and chatting with Match was kind of out of the question seeing as Rose had a vendetta against him. Still, I couldn't exactly go back to Night and Holler and only recount the story about Match and Rose. I'm thinking that they wouldn't be too impressed.

Suddenly, the right side of the circle quieted down a bit and a conversation struck up that caught my interest immediately.

"Jack," a voice said.

"Glare. I'm glad Queens could make it," Jack replied.

I suppressed a smirk. Things were starting to look a bit better for me now.

**Thanks again to all the people that review! It keeps me motivated when I'm stuck with where to direct the story next. **


	12. Chapter 12

I shifted slightly so that I was turned towards the conversation. Jack was standing up and shaking hands with a boy who I assumed was Glare. Glare was taller than Jack but he had a casual slouch that took him down a bit. He had jet black hair and green eyes and seemed kind of skinny but I'm guessing he could still through a mean punch. After all, you didn't become the leader if you couldn't knock down the other people who wanted that position.

Jack turned slightly and shook hands with Match who was standing next to Glare. A similar greeting was exchanged before Jack started talking with Glare again.

"Brooklyn should be here soon," Jack said.

"Oh joy, I get to see Spotty again," Glare replied, snorting.

"I know you two don't get along but this is important," Jack chuckled.

"I'll be civilized to the Brooklyn brute," he said, "Are the Sharks coming too?"

"I think so. You can never get a straight answer out of those guys," Jack replied.

"Very true," Glare commented, sweeping his gaze over the group of Manhattan Newsies and nodding in greeting at a few.

'_Who in the hell are the Sharks?_' I thought, willing them to keep talking so I could find out more.

I felt someone's eyes on me and shifted my gaze to see that Match was looking at me. He smiled and gave a casual wave, both of which I returned. This caught Glare's attention and he looked over at me.

"Who's that Jacky-boy?" he asked, nodding towards me.

"That's Actor, our newest member and the honorary birthday girl tonight," Jack said, motioning me to come over.

I stood up and walked over to where they were standing. Glare looked me over a few times while I was walking over but kept his eyes on mine when I reached Jack's side.

"Actor, this is Glare. He's the leader of Queens,"

"Nice to meet you," I said, sticking my hand out.

"You're awfully polite," he replied, raising his eyebrows.

"I try," I replied shortly, shrugging.

"Yeah well, don't be too polite. People will think you're weak," he commented.

"And maybe that's just a part of my act," I said, my face never changing by my tone sounding challenging.

Glare just looked at me and laughed.

"Whatever you say sweetheart," he grinned at me.

I just smiled back at him but on the inside I was burning. These Newsies were turning out to be the biggest jerks I've ever met in my life.

Turning around, I walked back to my seat without saying anything else. I know I needed to watch Queens closely but I was going to have to figure out a way to interact more with Trap. Glare was already pretty high up on my mental list of Newsies that I wanted to punch in the face.

I sat down next to Race again and pretended to pay attention to the poker game going on while listening to Glare and Jack continuing to talk.

"C'mon Glare lets go get some drinks. I don't want you starting something with my Newsies," Jack said.

"Aww was I too tough with your baby Actor?" Glare asked, and I could just imagine the smirk on his face.

"Just don't be a jerk anymore," Jack's retreating voice said.

I couldn't hear anything else from their conversation after that because they were too far away. I made a mental note to accidentally drop a rock on Glare's head or something sometime tonight. For once, I might actually agree with Spot when it comes to disliking that guy.

I sat there quietly, mulling over these "Sharks" they had previously mentioned. Could they be a new gang? If they were I should've heard something about them already. What if they were a codename for the bulls? Maybe, although this thought made anger and sickness swell up within me, they were a group of traitor Black Kings.

I was deep in thought but suddenly there was a tingling sensation that ran up my spine and I quickly turned my head towards the door. A group of about twenty people or so had just entered the theatre, except they didn't look like Newsies. They seemed too self-assured and dangerous and they were all wearing blue armbands on their right arms. My eyes narrowed as I scanned the new guests.

"Hey Race," I said, nudging him with my elbow.

"Yeah Actor?" he turned to look at me.

"Who are they?" I asked, nodding my head towards the group.

"Oh good, they showed up. We weren't sure they were going to make it. That's the Street Sharks. They're a gang from around here," he explained.

"A gang? But I thought gangs were bad?" I said innocently, tilting my head in fake confusion.

"Not all gangs. The Newsies actually work with and support this one," Race chuckled.

"But not the Black Kings," I said quietly.

"No, not them," Race said, his face turning serious, "Those sons-of-bitches are the worst thing that's ever happened to Manhattan. They lie and cheat and do all kinds of horrible things. The sooner we kick them out the better. That's why we're trying to replace them with the Street Sharks"

"Got it," I said, nodding my head.

"That's their leader right over there, Striker," Race said, pointing to a guy near the front.

I looked to where Race was pointing and quickly picked out the guy. He definitely stood out. The way he carried himself made you think that he owned all of New York, even Brooklyn, and you could tell that everyone held a high respect for him by the way they stood and acted around the guy. He seemed decently tall although he was definitely shorter than Break. He had brown hair that was messy and stuck up in the front. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were since he was across the room and turned away from me, but I could tell that he was really good looking. And well built. Did I mention good looking?

Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I quickly analyzed what that would mean for us. His looks and confidence would ensure that he was charming and charismatic and the way he carried himself would inspire others to follow him easily. And he looked like he could throw one hell of a punch. Not good.

"Like what you see?" Race said teasingly, nudging me.

"Ehh, Match seems better," I said casually, shrugging my shoulders and turning away from Striker.

Race stared at me in disbelief for a second before laughing and slapping me on the back.

"You never stop surprising me Actor"

"I try," I replied, grinning.

Race turned back to his poker game and I pretended to also but studied the gang out of the corner of my eye. They moved silently and quickly throughout the crowd, easily joining groups of Newsies and starting new conversations. It was disgusting that a gang would ally themselves with the Newsies of all people. The Newsies were weak and useless. You needed to show them that you owned the city and didn't share it with anyone.

A group of five important-looking people, including Striker, made their way to a booth that was a little bit away from the raucous crowd. The other four also walked with such confidence that I figured they had to be his right-hands. They all sat down in the booth, with Striker in one of the outside seats, facing the rest of the theatre. Night usually sat like that too because then it was easy to stand up and also see everything that was going on. It also displayed confidence because he wasn't surrounded and protected by his Newsies. That meant he wasn't opposed to knocking someone down himself.

Race's voice suddenly broke me out of my thoughts.

"Hey Actor,"

"Yeah?" I said, turning to face him.

"I'll be right back, save my seat for me," he said, getting up and walking off.

I watched him go, curious as to what his destination was. He was heading in the opposite direction of the bar so it wasn't to go get a drink. The crowd swallowed him up and I tried to look for him without making it seem too obvious. I saw him appear again when he emerged from the crowds and I could finally see what his destination was: Striker.

**Thanks for reading! And yet again, thanks to all of the people who review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took so long everyone; my sport just started which means too much time spent at games and practice. And I just got back from vacation where I didn't have my computer with me. Hopefully you guys enjoy this! Also, I made a mistake on the last chapter. When Actor said she thought that Trap was cuter than Striker, it's supposed to that Match is cuter than Striker. Trap isn't introduced until this chapter. I changed it now, but just in case that confused anyone I wanted to clarify what I meant to say. **

I watched as Race walked up to the table and shook hands with Striker. The two started chatting and seemed to be very friendly and casual towards one another. I desperately wished I could read lips right now so that I could tell what Striker was saying. It bothered me immensely that there was an important conversation going on right now that I should be eavesdropping on and yet I couldn't get any closer.

"Hey Actor!"

I turned my head at the sound of Kid Blink's voice.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I forgot to tell you about this funny thing that happened yesterday. There I was, selling papes at the corner of Brenton and Wiles when all of the sudden…."

I tried to listen to Blink as he told me the story but I was distracted by the nagging voice in my head that was telling me I needed to pay attention to the meeting between Race and Striker. Still, I pretended to be engaged in his story, nodding and laughing at appropriate times.

(Scene shift to Race and Striker meeting)

Race strolled over to the table currently occupied by five Street Sharks. He returned the greetings and nods from four of the guys with a nod and a couple of greetings of his own before turning his attention to Striker.

"How's it rolling Striker," Race said, sticking out his hand.

Striker grinned up at Race and shook hands with him. Race was one of Striker's favorite Newsies because he was actually really smart and knew how to handle himself.

"It's good Race. Where's Jacky-boy?" he replied.

"He's at the bar talking to Glare," Race said, nodding his head in the direction of the bar.

"Oh right, we have to deal with him and Spot butting heads tonight," Striker chuckled.

"At least it'll be entertaining," Race shrugged his shoulders.

"Speaking of Brooklyn, it looks like Spot decided to show up late again," Striker commented, scanning the crowd.

"That's the King of Brooklyn," Race chuckled, "always has to make a grand entrance"

"Anything less would be unacceptable," Striker said, amused.

"So what's up Race? I can't imagine you came over to say hello," Striker said after a brief pause.

"You know me too well. I actually did come over here for another reason," Race replied, chuckling.

Striker waited for Race to continue talking.

"I wanted to introduce you to Actor. She's the newest Newsie around here and the honorary birthday girl. And, she's the one Jack and Spot were telling you about," Race said, shooting Striker a meaningful look at the end.

Striker shifted slightly when he heard Race's news but kept a straight face otherwise.

"And where might this special girl be?" he asked casually.

"She's right over there, talking to Blink," Race said, indicating with his head where she was.

Striker scanned the area where Race had nodded towards and found the girl he was talking about. She dressed like a boy, like most of the other Newsie girls, and was pretty with wavy, blonde hair and a fair complexion slightly darkened from the sun. She was listening to Kid Blink saying something and was very engaged with what he was saying. Suddenly, she laughed at something funny. He didn't think it was possible but she actually looked even better when she laughed.

"She's cute," Brick said, who was seated directly across from Striker.

"Yep. But I bet she just wants to meet Striker for his stunning good looks and huge muscles," Trap said in a girly voice, who was sitting next to Striker.

"Actually Striker doesn't have to worry about that," Race replied, grinning, "Actor told me she thought Match was cuter"

Trap erupted with laughter and the other guys chuckled as well.

"Who would've thought that Match would ever be considered competition to Striker?" Trap managed to get out through his laughter.

"He isn't," Striker smirked casually, but when his eyes found Match in the crowd of Newsies they hardened slightly.

Striker stood up and immediately the other four guys did the same.

"Trap you come with me. The rest of you can stay here," Striker ordered.

Race fell in step with Striker and Trap as they made their way across the room towards where Actor was sitting. He fought to keep a smirk off his face. He normally wasn't one to be a matchmaker but he had a feeling these two would be great for each other.

(Scene shift back to Actor)

Blink's story had turned out to actually be incredibly funny. He had been selling papers when the warden's carriage broke down in the middle of the street. After the warden had yelled at the carriage driver, who was trying to figure out what had gone wrong, the warden actually started (although it sickens me to say it) flirting with some unlucky, young woman. He had been leaning against the back of the carriage when the horses suddenly took off. The warden wasn't prepared and lost his balance and ended up falling down into a mud puddle. To make things even worse, the woman he had been talking to immediately left without saying a word. Ah, sweet justice.

He had just finished his story when I heard Race's voice.

"Hey, Actor!"

I looked up and my eyes met with another pair of eyes that were an absolutely stunning dark blue. My mind went completely blank for a second but luckily Race pushed me out of my stunned state when he spoke up.

"Actor, this is Striker, the leader of the Street Sharks. Striker, this is our newest Newsie and the birthday girl, Actor," he said, gesturing back and forth when he said our names.

I stood up, making sure I didn't do it too slow or too fast, and looked him straight in the eye again before holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling at him.

He didn't stare at me like Spot had and instead reached out his hand and shook mine. His hand was warm and strong and enveloped my hand when we shook. Again, I shook those thoughts out of my head and concentrated on what Striker was saying instead.

"It's nice to meet you too. Race here couldn't stop talking about you," he said.

"Yeah that sounds like Race," I replied, grinning.

Striker chuckled and I couldn't help but think how cute he was.

"So birthday girl. How old are you now?" he asked.

"Just turned sixteen," I replied.

"Sweet sixteen. I'm seventeen myself," he said.

I would not have guessed this guy to be seventeen. He seemed more like he was nineteen.

"I wouldn't have guessed that," I said before I could stop myself.

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"And is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he questioned.

"Depends on how you take it. I would've thought you were nineteen," I replied, shrugging.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Striker said, laughing.

"Good. I'd hate to insult you right after we met," I replied smoothly.

"Smart girl," he smirked at me.

I noticed that it wasn't like one of Spot's smirks that proclaimed a huge ego and confidence and promised hurt to someone who would dare to challenge that. This one was more mischievous and playful.

I forced myself to look away from Striker and instead over at Race when he started to talk again.

"And this is his second-in-command, Trap," Race said, gesturing towards a guy standing slightly behind Striker who I hadn't even noticed.

He was almost the same height as Striker with jet black hair and deep brown eyes. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that told me it would be a very bad idea to underestimate the boy.

"Charmed," Trap said, bowing extravagantly.

I chuckled at the gesture.

"Likewise," I replied.

"How about I introduce you to some of the other Sharks? It'll be good for you to know them," Striker asked.

"That'd be great," I replied.

This was perfect. I'd met the leader and second-in-command of the Sharks and now I was going to be able to scout out the enemy gang. Night was going to love me.

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I love this chapter so much. And I think it's the longest one I've written in a while. So enjoy!**

"Trap, go round up some of the gang so they can meet Actor," Striker said.

"Aye aye captain," Trap replied, saluting at Striker before heading off into the crowd of people.

"You'll like the Sharks. They're all a little rough and crazy at first but they're all great people. Just don't try to pick a fight with any of them," Striker said, smiling at me.

"I'll try to remember that," I replied.

We stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say to each other. I fought a blush from rising to my cheeks. For some reason I was embarrassed that I wasn't able to think of anything to say. Luckily, Striker broke the silence.

"So you've only been a Newsies for, what, three weeks now?" he asked.

"Yep," I replied, mentally kicking myself for the lame answer.

"How do you like being a Newsie?"

"It has its ups and downs…" I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Well, I like that I get paid and I like all the guys at the Lodging House, but I could do without the weather and the long hours," I replied.

"Yeah, I can see that,"

"So what about you?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"How do you like being the leader of a new gang challenging established order," I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

He contemplated that for a moment before turning back to me.

"It definitely has more downs than ups. But it'll all pay off in the long run," he said.

I considered his answer for a moment. It was just like a gang leader to give what seemed like a straight answer yet be really vague at the same time.

"Well, here's to the success of the Sharks," I replied, holding my bottle up in a toast before taking a long drink from it.

Striker grinned at me.

"Thanks for that," he said.

"Anytime," I replied.

Our conversation got cut off there because Trap was back with four people trailing behind him. That's right. Four.

"These are the only ones I could round up," Trap complained, rolling his eyes.

"It'll do for now," Striker said, before turning to me, "Actor, I'd like you to meet some of the members of the Sharks"

"Hi. I'm Kicks," the girl to Trap's left said.

She was about my height with long brown hair and sharp hazel eyes. She had a confident smile that threatened to turn into a smirk and I instantly disliked her. She reminded me too much of pain-in-the-ass Conlon. It made me want to punch her in the face. I smiled back at her and we shook hands but I made sure to pull my hand away as soon as possible without trying to seem rude. I turned to look at the girl standing next to her. She was at least a foot shorter than Kicks with flaming red hair and bright green eyes.

"Hi there! I'm Firecracker! But you can just call me Fire! Or Cracker I guess. But I like Fire better!" She said excitedly in one breath, holding out her hand to me.

"Nice to meet you. Mind if I use your entire name? I like it," I chuckled, shaking her hand.

"Absolutely! Striker gave me the nickname cause he says that I'm as wild as one," she replied, her freckled face beaming.

"I can see that," I grinned at her.

She laughed and shook her wild red mane around. I liked her a lot better than Kicks. She was just so cute!

"I'm Shotgun," said a voice to my right.

I turned and looked at the guy who had said that. He was a massive, stocky guy who looked like he could knock over a brick wall just by touching it. I could see brown hair peeking out the sides of his cap which partially shaded his face. I wasn't positive, but I thought that his eyes were a very bright blue.

"Nice to meet you," I said, reaching out my hand to shake his.

"Don't steal all of her attention with your muscles, Shotgun"

A hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed mine before I could shake with Shotgun. The owner of the hand and the voice was a tall, lanky boy with dirty blonde hair and stormy, gray eyes. He bent down in a graceful bow and kissed my hand. I laughed and said,

"What a gentleman"

"I try milady," he replied.

"Might I have the honor of knowing your name good sir?" I asked, imitating the manners of the medieval princesses I'd seen in a flicker once.

"You may indeed. My name is Matches"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Matches"

"The pleasure is all mine Actor," Trap replied, winking at me.

"That's enough Matches. Stop flirting with her"

I turned my head and saw a girl I hadn't noticed before standing next to Striker. She was my height with long, dirty blonde hair and steely gray eyes. She wasn't glaring at Matches but her eyes were cold and hard. I glanced back at Matches and noticed that the two of them looked pretty similar.

"We're twins," the girl said when she noticed my action.

"I can see that," I replied, casually withdrawing my hand from Matches.

"You're such a spoil-sport Ice," Matches complained.

"It's my job to keep you in line," she said coolly.

Matches looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"Sisters," he said.

I walked over to Ice and extended my hand.

"I'm Actor," I said, smiling casually at her.

She just stood there and stared at me with her arms crossed, studying my intently. There was a long silence as everyone watched and waited to see what would happen. I continued to stand there, frozen in place, meeting her gaze the entire time. Finally, Ice spoke.

"I'm not going to shake your hand. You'll only think that I've accepted you then,"

I put my hand back into my pocket.

"Alright. That seems logical," I said.

"You're obedient. That's a pity. And cut the logical crap. You don't even know what that word means," she said icily.

A feeling of anger coiled in my stomach but I kept my mask up.

"If all Newsies were like you I would tell Striker not to bother forming an alliance with you guys. You'd all be useless. To be brutally honest, you're not cut out for the life of a Newsie. I can't believe you've lasted this far. You're too fragile; someone would probably break you if they even touched you," she continued.

"Ice…" Striker said in a warning tone.

"Not to mention you're probably just another swooning girl who has fallen head over heels in love with a bunch of the Newsies, like Spot Conlon. Bet you've spent a couple of nights with you skirts pulled up," Ice said viciously.

"Ice that's enough," Striker commanded.

"Oh she's fine. If she can't handle that then she isn't fit to be a Newsie," the girl sneered at me.

"Just shake her hand and then get out of here," Striker said.

"I don't want to," Ice stated.

"I don't care. Shake her hand," Striker glared at her.

Looking at me in disgust, Ice held out her hand for me to shake. I reached out my hand and grabbed hers. It was an awkward shake because she put zero effort into disguising the fact that she didn't want to even touch me.

She started to release my hand but I gripped hers tightly, making her unable to free it. I was ticked off at her for mouthing off and I need to let her have it. Normally I would keep up the whole "good-girl" thing but I didn't want to seem weak. Especially since Striker had to step in to stop her from saying anything else bad about me. She glared at me and started to open her mouth but I interrupted her.

"Here's where you went wrong," I said, dropping my innocent act and letting part of my bad-ass gang member side show through, "First of all, shaking someone's hand doesn't mean that you've accepted them. Shaking someone's hand shows that you know how to act like a decent human being. It also gives the opportunity to judge someone. So obviously you don't know how to act decently and you're missing out on the chance to get to know a friend or foe. Second, I'm not really being obedient. It's a reasonable thing to do to put your hand away after someone says they won't shake hands with you. What am I supposed to do, stand here like an idiot with my hand out? And I do actually know what the word "logical" means, judging by the fact that I used it correctly in a sentence. Also, telling Striker not to form an alliance would be an extremely ridiculous move. The Sharks are a new gang on the streets and are going to need all the help they can get to take down a larger and stronger gang. So don't get picky about who your allies are at this point. And just cause I look fragile doesn't mean that I am. Haven't you ever heard of not judging a book by its cover? And lastly, I'm actually not swooning over any of the guys, especially not Conlon. You wouldn't know this but he and I are on pretty unfriendly terms at the moment. And I don't spend my nights with my skirts hiked up seeing as I don't wear skirts. To be "brutally honest", I think that you're a disgrace to your gang. You better pull yourself together and start acting like you can handle being in a gang"

I released her hand and she just stood there with a look of shock on her face. I put my mask back on and smiled sweetly and innocently at her.

"I would say that it's nice to meet you but to be honest you're really not a pleasant person to be around. It would be great if you didn't try to talk to me again for the rest of the night. Thanks!" I said brightly.

With that, I turned around and walked away. There was dead silence from the group and I didn't make eye contact with anyone. As much as I wanted to see their stunned faces, it was better to just make a quick escape.

I made my way over to the side of the room by the bar and slipped down a hallway. It was completely deserted and I continued walking, taking a right at the end of the hallway. I just needed to disappear for a little bit. Everyone needed a little bit of time to absorb the shock of seeing my backtalk to that Sharks girl. God she was annoying. Someone needed to smack her every once in a while.

I finally reached a familiar door and slipped inside. There, sitting in the middle of the room, was the beautiful dress I adored. Still as bright and shimmery and pink as I remembered. I made my way over to the dress and stared at it for a moment before softly running my fingers along the lace edges again. I was dying to try it on but I knew that the day where I needed to wear something like that would never come.

I was still lost in my thoughts when the noise of a door slamming down the hall caught my attention. I could make out voices saying,

"That room's not good. Let's try the next one"

"Don't be too picky"

"Yeah, as long as it's quiet it'll be fine"

The sound of footsteps approaching the door immediately made me alert. The voices had sounded like Jack and Spot. Had Brooklyn shown up? Was there going to be a meeting? I decided that I needed to stay and try to listen in on whatever they wanted to talk about.

I looked for a place to hide but couldn't see anything that would fit me or hide me well enough. However, when I turned around and saw the dress again, the idea to hide under it instantly popped into my head. Without hesitating, I lifted up the skirt layers and dove under the dress. It was kind of warm and pretty dark under the dress, since the many layers didn't let much heat out or light in. I sat perfectly still, clutching the wooden pole that the top of the mannequin was connected to. The door swung open a moment later and I heard a bunch of feet enter the room. The door shut soon after, and I could hear the different guys wandering around the room they had just entered.

"Check to make sure no one's in here," I heard Spot Conlon say.

My body grew tense as I heard the sound of things being moved and cabinets being opened. I silently prayed that none of them would think to look under the dress. Finally the noises stopped and I heard Jack's voice say,

"Everything's clear Spot"

"Good. Now let's get started. Since our last meeting there hasn't been a lot going on with the Black Kings. They seem to be going about with their usual routines. That means that all of our activities have been successful in not attracting their attention," Spot said.

"We've been going around talking to the people who support the Black Kings and have been trying to get them to join our side. It's been pretty successful so far," Striker said.

"And we've been scouting out the territory that the Black Kings claim, especially the outer parts. It'll help us later on if we do end up in a war," Jack added on.

"Speaking of a war, when are we going to finally challenge them? You know, lead an actual attack?" Glare asked.

"We'll do that once we've weakened them enough. We have to be patient," Spot replied.

"And how do we know that any of this is actually doing any damage? What proof do we have?" Glare challenged.

"Because I have a guy on the inside," Spot replied, and I could just picture the glare he was giving Glare.

"Oh really? And you chose to bring this up only now?" Glare spat back.

"Yeah, I did. Because I've been trying to keep this a secret. The more people that know about him the greater the chance that his cover will get blown," Spot retorted.

"But how do we know that this guy's legit? Or that he's not going to double-cross us?" Glare asked.

"Because this guy is one of the high up guys in the gang. So he knows about everything that's been going around. Also, we've confirmed that he's one of them from over a dozen of the other people. And he won't double-cross us because we have Actor," Spot explained.

"Actor? How does she matter in any of this?" Jack asked.

"This guy knows Actor from before she became a Newsie. He says that she doesn't know that he's a member of the Black Kings. He wants to see the Black Kings fall and in return for helping us I told him I would let him be a Newsie and wouldn't tell Actor that he was a gang member," Spot said.

I could feel a chill spread throughout my body as I sat underneath the dress, barely breathing. There was a traitor in the Black Kings. And he was close to me. But…who? And why?

"So, as long as we have control of Actor he won't try to double-cross us?" Glare said slowly.

"Exactly. And we know where to find him in case he does get any ideas about crossing us," Spot said icily.

"Speaking of Actor, I'd appreciate it if you kept Ice away from her Striker," Jack said.

"Hey, I feel bad about that. I didn't know she was going to be that much of a bitch. Besides, the way Actor told her off afterwards was impressive," Striker replied.

"Yeah, normally she's pretty calm. Ice must've set her off somehow," Jack sighed, "Anyway, is this meeting over? We said this was going to be a quick one,"

"Yeah, that's all for now. We can meet another time to discuss everything again in more detail," Spot said.

"Sounds good to me," Striker said.

I heard the door open and the sound of footsteps leaving the room. However, I could tell that not everyone had left yet.

"Hey Striker, do you know where Actor ran off too? I didn't see where she went after her argument with Ice," Jack asked.

"Nah, I didn't see. I'll keep an eye out for her though," Striker replied.

I heard the two of them leave the room and close the door behind them. I stayed there under the dress, my heart pounding in my chest. It felt like I couldn't breathe but I didn't dare move yet in case one of the boys came back. Everything I had just learned was buzzing all around my head, vying for attention. The Black Kings losing supporters? Losing our territory? But the one thing my mind kept landing on was that there was a traitor in the Black Kings. And he was trying to protect me. Didn't he see how much he was hurting me?

I sat there for as long as I could before I felt like I was going to pass out from my lack of oxygen. I fought my way past the layers of the dress until my upper body was finally free. I lay there on the floor, gasping for breath.

'_Just calm down Actor. All you have to do is tell Night and everything will be okay. He'll be able to fix everything'_ I thought.

After a little while, I pushed myself off the ground and managed to untangle my legs from the long train of the dress. This kind of behavior was unacceptable for a member of the Black Kings. I needed to be strong and complete my mission. Night and Holler were depending on me.

Straightening up, I brushed the dust streaks from the floor off of my clothes. Medda should really sweep in here more often. I headed over to the door and carefully opening it before poking my head out. Once I had checked in both directions and made sure it was safe to move, I slipped out of the room and walked quickly down the hallway. I decided that I should enter the main theatre area from a different way that Jack and the others had just exited from to prevent any kind of suspicion. I already knew that Spot would be watching me like a hawk and I knew that the last thing that I needed was to give him an excuse to be even more suspicious of me.

I made it to a hallway that led to the front of the theatre, which seemed like a good place to slip back into the craziness of Newsies. I couldn't see anyone, but the roar of a ton of people talking and laughing started to grow louder as I approached the end of the hallway.

Adjusting my cap and taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for a night filled with crazy Newsies and Sharks while the dark cloud of betrayal and war loomed over me, threatening to crack the mask I'd worked so hard to sculpt.

**Gasp! Betrayal? The plot thickens… Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. School's almost over for me which means craziness with AP tests, state tournaments, and graduation. I had a few more chapters already written but I decided I didn't like where the story was headed so I went back and rewrote this chapter.**

After leaving the hallway I slipped back into the main room filled with dozens of Newsies. I headed straight for the bar staying as close as possible to the wall to avoid having anyone see me. What I needed right now was a drink to help calm me down. To hell with Race's rule about only one drink.

When I finally reached the bar I made my way past the random groups of people milling about the bar and found an empty space where I could stand. Resting my elbows against the surface of the bar, I waited for the bartender to make his way over to me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I scanned the crowd in the theatre. There had definitely been an increase in the number of people, most of them rough looking boys. Looks like Spot had brought his whole gang along for the party.

Turning back around, I saw the bartender heading in my direction and signaled for him to come over. When he finally made his way over he asked me,

"What can I get you miss?"

"Beer, please," I replied, reaching into my pocket to pull out some money.

"Don't worry about paying. It's on the house for girls," he said, handing me a beer.

"Thanks" I replied, picking up the beer.

'_So they don't want girls to drink too much yet they make drinks free for us? That doesn't make any sense,'_ I thought.

I took a long sip of the beer. It was kind of cold but definitely not of the best quality. Oh well, it's not like I was going for taste anyway. I just needed the alcohol to kick in soon.

I leaned back against the bar once the bartender moved away, surveying the crowd of people and sipping the beer. I didn't know most of the people here and a lot of the Manhattan Newsies had finally jumped into groups of Brooklyn or Queens Newsies.

My gaze landed on a figure standing on the opposite side of the room, near the booth Striker had been in earlier. There was no mistaking the red suspenders, black cane, or aggressive stance. Conlon. He was talking to Glare and Jack and didn't look very happy. And even from this distance I could tell that Glare was living up to his nickname. I was so engrossed with watching them that when I finally realized there was someone standing next to me I flinched.

'_Jesus Actor, pay attention!'_ I thought angrily, _'You can't let people sneak up on you like that'_

I saw that it was Striker standing next to me and tried to compose myself. He glanced over at me and said,

"Sorry if I startled you,"

"It's fine. I should pay more attention anyway," I replied, shrugging.

'_Play it cool Actor, you got this,'_ I thought.

The bartender came over to Striker quickly when he noticed him standing there (a lot faster than when I tried to get him to come over I might add).

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"Beer," Striker said, pulling some coins out of his pocket and laying them down on the counter.

The bartender reached down and picked out a beer, setting it in front of Striker. He swept the change into his hand and gave Striker a grateful nod before moving on. Striker picked up the beer and took a long drink before turning around and leaning on the bar like I was.

"So what was so interesting to you? You seemed pretty focused on something," Striker asked.

"That," I said, gesturing towards Spot and Glare in a heated conversation, "Jack told me that those two were always at each other's throats"

"Yeah, they can never seem to get along," Striker chuckled.

"Probably because they're both obnoxious," I muttered.

Striker somehow managed to hear me say that and laughed.

"So I take it you haven't had the most pleasant of experiences with either of them,"

"Glare's a jerk. Spot's worse. He's an absolute jackass all the time," I sighed.

"I think you're one of the first girl's I've ever heard say that," Striker looked at me in amusement.

"That's probably because I'm the first girl that Spot's ever actively tried to kick out of the Newsies," I said.

"Really? And why is that?" Striker questioned.

"I don't know! The guy just doesn't like me. Or maybe he's just testing me and this is some sort of crazy Newsie initiation called 'Survive Conlon for a Month'" I joked.

Striker chuckled and shook his head.

"Well who knows what's going through Conlon's head. That guy has more plans and schemes than anyone else I've ever seen," Striker commented.

"Agreed," I said before taking another sip of my beer.

"Didn't Race tell you girls are only supposed to have one beer?" Striker said, motioning towards the drink in my hand.

"I had only finished half of my first one after I walked out of here. So I decided to get another. Besides, it's apparently free for girls," I shrugged my shoulders before taking another sip.

I had just finished taking the sip when Striker grabbed the beer out of my hands and proceeded to chug the remainder of it.

"Hey!" I protested as I watched my alcohol disappear.

Striker finished the beer and wiped his mouth before setting the empty bottle down on the bar.

"You had finished half of that one and you said you only had half of your other one, so now you've had one beer total. Besides, you don't pay for your drinks so I don't see how this is a problem," Striker smirked at me.

"The problem is that you just took my drink!" I said in mock outrage.

"I can get you another one. How about water or root beer or something," he said, still smirking.

"No thanks," I rolled my eyes.

"Come on I'm just trying to get you to stick to Race's rules," Striker teased.

"Oh please you're just trying to get as much free alcohol as possible," I shot back, although I was grinning.

"You caught me," Striker said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

I laughed at him. Striker was surprisingly fun to be around. I had definitely expected him to be, well, mean and an idiot. I mean, really, what kind of a guy takes on the most powerful gang in the area? I guess I have to give him some credit for being so bold.

Suddenly I noticed Ice walking over here and I put myself on guard. Striker noticed my change in attitude and followed my gaze to see Ice making her way to where we were standing.

"I can tell her to go away if you want me to," Striker offered carefully.

"No, it's fine. She's a part of your gang. Besides, if she starts something I can handle it," I said, turning my head so that I was looking out at the theatre instead of the approaching annoyance.

"Alright," Striker replied.

Ice arrived soon after he said that, and although I was looking across the sea of Newsies all of my attention was focused in on the conversation to my left.

"Hey Striker," Ice said.

"What do you need Ice?" he replied.

"Spot told me to come over and get you, he wants to talk to you and Jack again about something. He said it couldn't wait," Ice stated.

"Alright, I'll go over there in a second," Striker said.

There was an awkward silence and I could tell that Ice wanted to say something else but I was surprised when she directed her next words towards me.

"Umm…Actor?" she said timidly.

I turned my head to look at her in surprise, although I hid it well. Even though I had only interacted with this girl for a few minutes, she didn't seem like the type to be timid.

"Yes?" I replied, unsure of what she wanted.

"I just wanted to say that…" she started, before taking a big breath and continuing on, "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for before. I was rude and shouldn't have judged you like that"

I studied her for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not she was being serious. Normally I wasn't the type to forgive this easily but having her as an ally might come in handy. Besides, the more people I know in the Street Sharks gang the happier Night is.

"Apology accepted. Thank you," I replied finally.

Relief washed over Ice's face and she flashed me a smile. I returned it, although with a little less enthusiasm.

"Well, I'll leave you two ladies alone while I deal with Spot and Jack," Striker said, nodding at both of us.

He flashed me an appreciative smile as he left, probably because he approved of the fact that I had "forgiven" Ice.

The second he left, Ice jumped up on a barstool and motioned for me to sit on the one next to her. I followed suit and hopped up as well.

"So this might seem weird, but why did you apologize? You don't seem like the type to," I asked, interested to know the answer.

"I apologized because I wanted to. The other guys call me Ice cause that's how I always act around people I don't know and most of the Newsies. But I only do that cause I'm a part of the Street Sharks and we need to build up a good reputation. If I seem weak, that'll just hurt us. But I figured that I should apologize since it wouldn't be in front of other people and cause I acted like a bitch to you," she explained, swiveling on the stool.

"Yeah, well I was a bitch right back so don't worry about it," I replied, grinning at her, "And I can see how you would need to keep up appearances. That's why I like Manhattan: everyone's so laid back about stuff. We only get serious when we have to"

She smiled back at me.

"I forgot to tell you happy birthday before. How old are you?" she asked me.

"I'm sixteen," I replied.

"Me too! But my birthday was four months ago," she exclaimed.

I decided that Ice was going to be very useful to have around. If I became good enough friends with her I could probably learn a lot about the Sharks.

"So what position of leadership do you have in the Sharks?" I asked.

"I'm the leader of the girls and Striker's fourth-in-command. Well, he never actually said that but I just like to call myself that," she explained.

"Wow, you're pretty important then," I said, pretending to be impressed.

"Yeah I guess so. I just like to make sure all of my girls are in order and aren't messing around. We need to be serious and focused in order to achieve our goal," she said seriously.

"Of overthrowing the Black Kings?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.

"Yeah. I can't wait until those cowards are off the streets," she said, making a face.

"Why do you guys want to overthrow the Kings? What made you decide to form the Sharks and challenge the other gang?" I asked carefully.

Ice contemplated that question for a moment before answering.

"How about I answer that question some other time? Gloomy subjects like that shouldn't be talked about at a birthday party," she said.

I was annoyed that she was deflecting the question for right now but knew that I just had to bide my time and then she would tell me what I wanted to know. Ice started to say something when a voice cut her off.

"Sorry to interrupt ladies, but it's time for Actor to go home,"

I turned and saw Race standing there with a cigar hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Where'd you get that, Race?" I asked, pointing towards the cigar.

"Won it off a Brooklyn guy in a game of poker," he replied, grinning.

"You would think they would've learned by now that they can't beat you," I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah well, the Brooklyn boys have been swimming in that river for too long. I think the water is starting to mess with their brains" he chuckled.

"Don't let Spot hear you say that," I laughed.

"Let me hear what?"

Spot walked up behind Race and put his hand on Race's shoulder.

"Don't let me hear what Race?"

"Race here was just complimenting the poker skills of your boys," I said, trying hard to keep from laughing as I hopped off the bar stool.

I turned back to look at Ice and said,

"I'll see you later Ice,"

"See ya," she replied, smiling at me and giving a small wave.

I walked over to Race and nodded at Conlon, who had released Race.

"See ya later Spot," I said.

He nodded in return but didn't say anything. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I turned and followed Race, weaving my way past the remaining groups of people as we made our way towards the entrance of the theatre. Jack was standing right by the doors with Striker, Glare, and Match. The three of them were talking in low voices and ended their conversation immediately when they saw Race and I approaching.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked us when we finally reached the group.

"Yeah Cowboy," Race said and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Good, let's get going. It's close to midnight and we've got selling tomorrow," Jack said, fingering the red bandanna around his neck.

"Alright, alright," Race said before turning to Striker, "I'll see you around Striker. Glad you could make it tonight"

"Likewise," Striker replied, "I'll be dropping by real soon"

"See you guys later," Race said, nodding at Glare and Match.

"Don't lose too much at the races," Glare replied, smirking.

"I got a hot tip this week, don't worry about me," Race chuckled.

Striker turned and faced me while Race talked to Glare.

"It was nice to meet you Actor. Happy birthday again," he said, smiling at me.

"Nice to meet you too. I'll see you around probably," I replied, returning the smile.

"Yeah. Get home safely," he said.

"I will," I grinned at him.

Striker looked like he was going to say something else, but Match cut in at that moment.

"It was great to meet you Actor. Did you enjoy the party?" Match asked.

"I did. I thought it was a lot of fun," I replied.

"Good. Glad we made your birthday a good one," he grinned at me.

"Yeah, everyone made this a great night," I said.

I was starting to get tired and just wanted to get back to the Lodging House to get some sleep. I think Race noticed this because he interrupted the conversation by saying,

"Well, we should be leaving now. This girl needs her rest for tomorrow"

He grabbed my elbow and started pulling me away. Cowboy followed, saying his final farewells also. I looked back over my shoulder once more and smiled at Striker and Match. Glare was still on my list of people I wanted to hit so I just ignored him for right now.

The three of us exited the theatre and joined a few other Manhattan Newsies who were also dragging themselves back to the Lodging House to try and get some sleep before selling. The walk seemed shorter but that was probably because I was almost falling asleep and completely zoning out at points. When we finally reached the house, Race practically dragged me up the stairs and I collapsed on my bed, grateful to finally be able to close my eyes.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

Last Night/This Morning

It was around one in the morning on Tucker Street, deep in the seedy, south side of Manhattan. The street was lit only by the waning moon and the dim light from the bar at the north end of the street, since the city hadn't bothered putting street lamps in the poor, run-down area. The right side of the block was dominated by an old abandoned factory, with a small square left for the bar. The left side of the street was all run-down apartments that served as shelters for the homeless, broke people of Manhattan. The street was unnervingly silent because few souls willingly ventured into the area. It wasn't one of the violent areas of Manhattan; it was just decrepit and falling to pieces.

The only place that still had some vitality was the previously mentioned bar named T.J. Brook's. It was painted all black with only one wooden door in front to serve as an entrance and exit. The handle had faded to the color of an old penny, dulled by time and the forgetfulness of the owner in polishing it. Inside, there were a few tables and chairs scattered about, only one of which was presently occupied by a lone man surrounded by shot glasses. The area was lit by lamps hung from the ceiling that cast a pitiful glow about the place. The bar was the only impressive spot in the whole establishment: bottles of liquor lined the walls, along with glasses and mugs polished till they seemed passably clean. Although the bartender was nowhere in sight, the bar was currently occupied by four people, all dressed in black. They wore black shoes, black pants, black long-sleeved shirts and black caps, and each one had a black bandanna sitting around his or her neck. There were three guys and one girl there, all sitting with drinks in their hands. And none of them looked even remotely happy.

"I can't believe we don't get to celebrate Eclipse's birthday with her," one of the boys named Bridge said, taking a swig of his drink.

"I can't either. Instead, she has to spend her big night with those Newsies bums at that stupid Irving Hall place," the girl called Wings complained.

"She probably hates being there right now. I bet she wishes that she was with us," another boy, Roller, said glumly.

"If it weren't for those damned Newsies acting up she could be with us right now," Shiner stated bitterly.

"Yeah, it's all their fault," Wings said, glaring at the bar as if it were the Newsies she hated.

"Ehh, to hell with it!" Roller said, downing the rest of his glass, "We've been here for two hours already. Let's get back to headquarters. Night probably has something for us to do"

The others nodded in agreement and the four laid money down on the bar for their drinks. As they walked over to the door, they all pulled up their black bandannas so that their faces were once again hidden. They all paused once they stepped out onto Tucker Street, taking in the silence and darkness that covered the street. This was Black King turf. And despite the appearance of this particular street, they were still damn proud to claim it as their own.

Suddenly, a new voice cut through the silent night.

"Hello boys. Nice night for a stoll, isn't it?"

The four dark figures turned to face the voice that had just spoken. Out of the shadows stepped a short figure with a Newsie cap. The moon lit up his features so that all four Black Kings could see who it was: Racetrack.

"Racetrack. What are you doing at this hour? I heard you had a birthday party to attend," Shiner mocked.

"It's over now. Pity you guys weren't invited, we would've loved to have you there," Race said in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Who would want to go to a Newsie party? Bet those are boring as hell," Roller sneered.

"Forgive me, I forgot that your idea of a party was sitting in sketchy bar on a deserted street with three other people getting drunk," Race shot back.

"You're asking for it Race," Roller said menacingly, taking a step towards Race.

"You're right. I am asking for it. I'm here for a fight," Race said casually.

"You think you're going to take us on? You're outnumbered!" Bridge said in disbelief.

"Oh I'll take you on alright. But don't worry. I brought some friends along so they could join in on the fun," Race said.

Ten boys immediately stepped out from the surrounding area. Five were from Brooklyn, including Spot, and the other five from Manhattan were Jack, Blink, Mush, Snitch, and Jake. Blink and two of the Brooklyn boys had baseball bats with them and Spot already had his cane out.

The four Black Kings tensed up at the sudden reversal. It was one thing taking on five Manhattan boys, even if one of them had a baseball bat. It was an entirely different thing, however, to face five Brooklyn boys as well, especially if one of them was the infamous Conlon.

Still, the Black Kings had no chance to even consider backing out of the fight and simply melting away into the shadows before the Newsies descended upon them. The four Black Kings put up a fight at first but were quickly outnumbered and beaten to the ground. Blows rained upon them from the boys with the baseball bats until Spot spoke up.

"That's enough," he said calmly.

When the boys stepped back away from the four Kings, Conlon surveyed the scene. All four people lay unconscious on the ground, having passed out sometime during the fight. There were visible bruises and cuts on them. Spot could even see a small puddle of blood that had formed under the right arm of one of the boys.

"What should we do with them?" one of the Brooklyn boys asked Spot.

"We'll just leave them there. Some other Black Kings will find them there soon enough. Hell, there might even be a Black King watching us right now," Spot said, eyes casually scanning the surrounding buildings.

The other boys looked up nervously as well, tensed for some unseen force to come down upon them. It was Race that finally spoke and took their minds off the shadows.

"Why don't we take off their bandannas as well? After all, that's their badge of honor," Race suggested.

Jack and Spot exchanged glances and Jack nodded his head.

"Good idea. Let's expose their faces to the light for once," he said.

Blink and Mush went over to the four figures and started untying the bandannas. It went smoothly until Mush untied the bandanna around Wings face.

"This one's a girl!" he exclaimed.

Almost immediately a murmur of surprise and guilt floated through the boys. They hated the Black Kings but they prided themselves on not attacking any girls. Spot, however, made sure to set their minds straight.

"That's the price she had to pay for hiding her face and pretending to be a boy. You guys didn't know she was a girl so it isn't your fault. Besides, who knows what she's done to us over the years," he stated firmly.

The other boys nodded in assent and the matter dropped.

"Let's get out of here. It's late," Jack said, turning around and walking away.

The other boys followed and Spot fell in step with Jack as the two of them led the way back home.

"So there are girls in the Black Kings? That's news to me," Jack said in a low voice to Spot.

"I had my suspicions but now we know for sure. This doesn't mean we're going to hold back at all though. This is a war, Jack," Spot replied.

"I know. It just makes me worry about our girls since we attacked one of theirs," Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Spot nodded in agreement. He was thinking about the Manhattan girl Newsies as well, but for a different reason. He still had his suspicions about a certain birthday girl that he was determined to get answers from, one way or another.

There had, in fact, been a Black King watching the entire time. He was a little boy only twelve years old named Sprint who had pressed himself into the shadow of the side door of the bar in the alley. He had wanted so badly to intervene on the beating that had taken place but knew that he could do absolutely nothing to help protect his fellow gang members. Sprint had contemplated going for help but he knew that it would take too long and would end up being useless. And Night hated useless things. Instead, he had chosen to observe and take notes on everything he had seen. His blood had boiled when he saw the bandannas taken off of his fellow gang members, but he had once again restrained himself. It wasn't until the Newsies had left and he had waited a few minutes did he emerge from his hiding spot. He quickly rushed over and checked out the damage inflicted upon his fellow gang members. It looked painful but not too serious, except for the puddle of blood beneath Bridge's right arm. The boy looked around to see if anyone was on the street before turning around and racing off into the shadows to go track down some help.

Only a few seconds after Sprint had left, the door to the bar opened and a figure stepped out. It was the guy from before who had sat alone at a table in the bar, taking shots every so often. The Black Kings had assumed that the man was drunk and had dismissed him. However, what they didn't know was that most of the shots were just straight up water poured from the flask on his side. This man had no intention of getting drunk, although he wasn't opposed to a little alcohol. Once in the light of the street, you could tell that the man was actually very young, only about nineteen or so. Dirty brown pants peeked out from underneath a black trench coat and a black cowboy hat sat atop the strangers long, dirty-blonde locks. The guy looked down at the four unconscious figures and smiled slightly.

"Looks like the Black Kings are getting run out of town. It's about time," he muttered softly, before turning around and heading off in the opposite direction of the Newsies. Once his footsteps faded away, the usual silence overtook the street. There was no one else around to observe the four, unmoving figures that lay sprawled out in the dust with their bandannas taken off their faces. For the Black Kings, this was a declaration of war.

Same Time, Manhattan Lodging House

The Lodging House was filled with the usual sounds of boys snoring and such, although there were an unusually large number of beds that lacked a sleeping boy. Down the hall in the girls' room, all of the girls slept soundly as the breeze from the open window floated into the room.

Actor was sprawled out on the lower bunk of the bunk bed that was closest to the window on the left side of the room. Like the other girls, she had on what they referred to as their "sleep shirts": long-sleeved, button-up shirts that went down to their knees. Since none of them could afford actually nightgowns, they all settled for what they could get their hands on.

The stillness of the night was broken when a black, shadowy figure crept into the room through the open window. The person was silent as they moved across the floor towards Actor's bunk. A sudden creak from the floorboards down the hall caused the figure to freeze. Soft voices floated down the hall, getting closer. Immediately, the figure ducked into the shadows behind Actor's bunk and stayed stock still.

The door quietly swung open and three figures came into view, one of them holding a candle that he held with his hand cupped around it to prevent too much light from getting into the girls' room. Although the crouched figure couldn't see it, the flickering light illuminated the faces of Jack, Spot, and Race.

"Everyone still accounted for?" Race asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah," Jack said after counting the girls, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

Jack's gaze lingered on the bunk in the far corner where Actor lay. Although he couldn't really see her in the darkness, he could make out her outline on the sheets.

"Don't worry Jack. They're in good hands," Race said.

Race turned and started to walk back to the boys section of the Lodging House, carrying the light with him. Jack followed after him, satisfied that all his girls were safe for now. Only Spot remained in the doorway, looking at the sleeping girls. Actually, his focus was only on Actor.

He stayed there for a while, eyes trained on where Actor's figure had been. Now that there was no light in the room, her bunk had been swallowed up in the shadowy darkness. For some reason, Spot had an odd feeling that Actor belonged in the shadows. Putting aside that feeling for the moment, Spot finally turned and made his way back to the boy's bunk room where he knew there was an open bed waiting for him.

After a few seconds, the wraith-like figure slipped out of its hiding spot, having heard Spot's footsteps fade away. The person slipped something out of its pants pocket and, kneeling down, slipped the small package into Actor's hat that was lying on the ground next to her clothes. Standing up, the figure paused for a second to study Actor. Then, as quietly as it had come, the shadow disappeared out the window and into the night.

Next Morning

"Alright, time to get up girls!"

I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of Kloppman's voice in the bunkroom. Sunlight was streaming into the room and a cool breeze drifted in through a window someone had left open overnight. I groggily looked around at my surroundings. Normally I would've woken up when Kloppman started to wake up the boys in their bunkroom but I guess I was just really out of it last night.

Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up until I was resting on my elbows and kicked my tangled sheets off of my legs.

I took a moment to survey the rest of the bunkroom. Kloppman was having a harder time than usual trying to get the girls out of bed, probably because most of them were still feeling the effects of their partying last night. Just because we were limited to one drink doesn't mean that any of the girls listened to the rules.

I waited until Kloppman finally left the room to throw on my clothes. I didn't bother picking up my hat since I didn't want to chance it getting wet in the washroom. Maneuvering past a clearly hung-over Match, I left the room and walked down the hallway over to the washroom.

On my way I peeked into the boys' room since it was right next to the washroom and the door was open. Blink was sprawled out on his bunk, unmoving, even after Race reached up and hit him a few times to try and wake him up. Jack had managed to sit up but had his head between his hands. Even Mush was complaining about a splitting headache.

I shook my head: I found it funny that the boys limited what the girls could drink even though clearly most of the boys needed a limit themselves.

I walked over to the washroom and found an empty sink next to Crutchy.

"Morning Actor!" he said cheerfully.

Clearly he was one of the few that hadn't had a rough night.

"Morning Crutchy," I replied, trying my best to seem awake and cheerful.

"Fun night last night, right? Bet that's the best birthday party you've ever had," he remarked, washing his hands.

I thought of all the birthdays I'd had with my friends in the gang and wanted to protest that it wasn't even close, but I knew I couldn't do that.

"Sure was," I replied, forcing a smile onto my face.

I quickly splashed cold water on my face so Crutchy couldn't question me anymore and so I could attempt to wake up. After drying off my face, I ran a comb through my hair and quickly threw it into a braid. I considered my appearance for a second in the dirty mirror in front of me. I missed the way I'd looked the night before, with pretty waves and long lashes. Still, the last thing I wanted to do in the morning was to waste time doing all that when it probably wouldn't even last anyway.

I turned away from the mirror and almost ran straight into Spot Conlon. He had some bags under his eyes but still managed to look alert and even slightly angry. I opened my mouth to say good morning but he just brushed past me and took my empty spot at the sink. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I walked back to the girls' room. By now all the girls had managed to get up and make their way to the washroom so it the room was completely empty. I made my way over to my bed and scooped up my hat from the floor. The heaviness of it made me pause for a second. Looking inside, I realized that there was small box inside of it. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. I picked it up and examined it, trying to see if there was some indication of who had left it on the paper.

"What's that?"

I almost jumped at the sound of Race's voice. Turning, I saw him leaning on the doorway of the room.

"I don't know, I just found it in my hat this morning," I said, shrugging.

Something flashed across his face for a second, almost like fear. He switched back to his carefree demeanor almost instantly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I don't know who left that for you," he replied, walking over to where I was standing, "Why don't you open it up and see what's inside?"

I slowly untied the string and pulled back the brown paper to reveal a simple wooden box. Opening up the lid, I saw a small, beautiful pin lying on the inside. It was a silver flower with blue crystals as the petals. Delicate, detailed silver leaves branched off from the flower and laced all around. I picked up the pin and admired it in the sunlight. I could tell it wasn't real silver or jewels or anything but it was still beautiful.

"Wow, that's beautiful," Race whistled in amazement.

"Yeah, it is," I replied, still in awe of the present.

I noticed the letter B scrawled into the lid of the box in charcoal and immediately knew who had given me the pin. Break. He was my best friend from the Black Kings gang.

"So do you know who it's from?" Race asked.

I tore my gaze away from the letter and snapped the box shut quickly. Race had been looking at the lid but I knew that he wouldn't be able to figure out what 'B' stood for.

"No, I have no idea," I lied, "But there's no reason to waste such a beautiful pin"

I pinned it to the inside of my shirt right on the collar. The pin was very nice which meant the odds of it being stolen if anyone saw it were pretty damn near 100%.

"Let's go," I said to Race once I had finished, moving past him and walking out into the hallway.

I turned around and saw him looking intently across the room at the window near my bed. He must have realized that that was how Break had entered the room to give me my gift.

"You coming?" I asked, eager to distract him and try to prevent him from asking any more questions.

"Huh? Oh yeah," Race said, reluctantly looking away from the window.

Almost immediately he changed his demeanor and became the usual energetic Race.

"Come on sweetheart, we've got papers to sell," he said, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me down the hallway towards the stairs.

I laughed and followed him, not even really minding that he had called me sweetheart. After all, it was Race. He was just a fun guy to be around.

'_Wait, did I just think Race was fun to be around? No, that's not how this works. I'm supposed to hate everyone in this Lodging House. And the annoying Brooklyn ones that unfortunately stay here. I'm just pretending to have fun right now, right?'_ I thought.

As we practically ran past the washroom I looked in and locked eyes with Spot for a split second. I just turned away and followed Race down the stairs, ignoring Spot just like he always did to me.

As Race and I sprinted down the stairs and out of the Lodging House, a thought occurred to me that gave me a funny feeling deep in my stomach. Race had been able to change his mood in an instant and hide what he was thinking about. I hadn't realized it until now, but some of the Newsies seemed to be just as good of actors as I was. Hopefully none of them turned out to be better.

Spot turned back to the mirror in the washroom. On the outside he looked composed but his mind was racing. He couldn't stop from playing back the scene he had just seen: Race rushing by pulling Actor behind him. Actor. Her laughing, looking at him with those deep blue eyes, hair pulled back. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

He pounded his fist onto the old sink. He couldn't do this. He wouldn't allow it. Spot knew that this girl was trouble: he had a feeling about it. And his feelings never let him down. Not to mention everything suspicious that had happened with her. He was almost positive that she was part of the Black Kings. What had convinced him the most was when their spy from the Black Kings said that he wanted to protect Actor from the fact that he had been in a gang because she was an "old friend". Seriously, what kind of bullshit was that? It was obvious he wanted to protect her because she was also in the gang. Spot had yet to tell Jack though because Jack thought this girl was his sister and because Spot wasn't completely positive yet. He needed more evidence.

"You okay?"

Spot looked up and saw Jack standing in the doorway, tying his trademark bandanna around his neck.

"Yeah. Just thinking about some stuff," Spot replied gruffly, moving away from the sink.

He was Spot Conlon. King of Brooklyn. Famous leader of New York.

And he would take that girl down. No matter what.

**A/N I updated it! Finally… Still, I'm really happy the way this turned out, and I hope you guys do too! Hmm, but both Spot or Striker seem to have things for Actor. Decisions, decisious.**


	17. Chapter 17

Race and I ran through the streets trying to catch up with everyone else. We'd fallen behind because we were occupied with my pin and we wanted to get our regular spots in line before the gates opened. We were half a block away when I heard a door slam shut behind us. Looking back, I saw Spot and Jack descending the steps of the Lodging House.

'_They better hurry up if they want their spots in line. Just cause they're the leaders doesn't mean we're going to wait for them_' I thought.

Shrugging away the thought I ran after Race as we dodged the usual people about at this hour. It was still pretty early so everyone was of the working class, out making deliveries or picking up food and such. I hated so much to admit it but I missed being able to walk freely among these people. The Black Kings rarely went out during the day and when we did we used the massive crowds as ways to move undetected. It'd been a while since I had just walked around on the streets without worrying about someone spotting me.

Race and I finally reached the gates, tired and out of breath. We had managed to make it there before the gates opened, probably because Oscar and Morris were late yet again. I honestly had no idea what those guys did with their lives other than harass people.

We made our way over to the line and Race turned to me and said,

"I need to talk to you after you get your papes, alright?"

"Ok," I replied, intrigued as to what he wanted to talk about.

"Good. Now go get in line," he said, grinning at me.

I smiled back at him as he turned around and started walking towards the front of the line where his spot was. The group standing there was composed of the older newsies: Crutchy, Blink, Boots, Mush, Jack, Spot…

'_Wait a second. Jack and Spot are here?! How is that possible?_' I thought.

I looked in disbelief at the two of them. They had been far behind us when they'd left the Lodging House: how in the hell had they beat us here? And they weren't even out of breath or anything which means they hadn't run here. They must have taken some kind of shortcut. I desperately thought of the layout of Manhattan and tried to figure out any different routes they could've taken but couldn't think of any. It unnerved me that I didn't know the area as well as Jack and even Spot. Just cause Night had mostly stationed me in Queens didn't mean that I didn't know the other boroughs. I mean, a Brooklynite just beat me on my own turf. That's just sad.

Race joined the group of guys standing right near the gates and started chatting with them. I took my regular spot in line which was at the very end, since I was the newest Newsie. Even my age didn't give me seniority yet. And apparently the boys had never heard of the saying "Ladies first". Of course, being the smart alecks they were, the boys would probably tell us that we weren't ladies so the rule didn't apply. Jerks.

Although I tried to seem relaxed, I was on edge. I wanted to know what the guys near the gate were talking about. It seemed pretty serious since they were all huddled in a circle and weren't being their usual, energetic selves.

"Hey Actor!"

I looked over at Rose who was standing near the front of the line with Match, Glasses, and Firelight. She was smiling at me and waving for me to come over. I couldn't believe my good luck. Not hesitating for a second, I walked over to the small group of girls.

"Do you need something?" I asked once I reached them.

"Nope. We just thought that you looked so lonely in the back of the line and figured we would let you sneak up here. Besides, it's not like any of the boys will complain," Rose said, winking at me.

I could've hugged her right then and there. She had just gotten me First Class standing in line and we were literally right next to the group of boys I needed to spy on.

"Thanks for that. It was getting pretty lonely back there," I replied, grinning at the four girls.

"Anytime," Rose replied.

Then she turned and struck up a conversation with Match about some of the cute boys they'd seen last night. I pretended to pay attention to what they were saying but I was really listening to the conversation going on in front of us.

"That was perfect last night. Those Kings never saw it coming," Blink said, clearly pleased with himself.

I tensed at the mention of my gang and strained to listen to what they were saying.

"Yeah. We soaked 'em good," Mush said proudly.

"Those four bums never stood a chance. Though I still can't believe that one of them was a girl," Race proclaimed.

"I already told you, we didn't know that that one Black King was a girl so we aren't guilty of anything," Spot cut in.

"Either way, that was a good victory and it sent a message to those King's that we're finally taking back what is rightfully ours," Jack stated firmly.

The others expressed their agreement at Jack's statement. I desperately wanted to know what had happened. Four of my gang family had been attacked. Who had it been? Where had it been? Who had seen? How bad was it? So many questions flooded my mind that I became somewhat anxious. I continuously flexed my hands inside my pockets to try and calm myself and hoped that no one else would notice. I tried to listen in on the conversation but the boys changed the subject and switched to talking to boring things like headlines. I gritted my teeth in frustration; I needed some kind of information about what had happened.

The Delancy brothers finally showed up and were subjected to the usual taunts and jeers from the Newsies. Oscar shot me a sideways glance as he strode past but didn't say anything. I ignored him and his brother. Honestly, they were both disgusting, physically and morally. I hoped that natural selection would somehow weed them out soon.

After the boys passed by and opened up the gates, everyone started to move forward. I used this opportunity to slip by the other girls and walked over to the group of guys. Blink was the first to notice me next to them.

"Hey there Actor. How was your birthday party last night?" he asked.

"It was fantastic. Thanks for throwing that again," I replied, plastering a smile on my face.

"No problem. It was the least we could do for our favorite girl," Blink replied throwing his arm around me.

"Don't let Rose hear that," I joked.

It was well known that Blink and Rose had a thing for each other, but both were too shy to do anything about it.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" I asked casually.

"Nothing really. Just some highlights from your party last night," Blink said.

"I don't remember there being a fight at the party last night," I replied.

"Must have happened when you stepped out after yelling at Ice," Mush said, grinning at me.

I refused to be charmed, however, and pressed on, wanting more information.

"Then why do you guys not have any bruises or scratches or anything?" I questioned.

"The other guys never had a chance. We beat down on them pretty fast," Jack boasted.

"Oh really. And who are these guys you beat up?" I asked.

"Just some Newsies looking to make a scene," Jack replied smoothly.

I scared me that if I hadn't known that he was blatantly lying right then, I might have actually believed what he just said.

"That's a lie. You guys just said the fight was on the street. And it was against those Black King people," I argued, trying to stay calm.

"It doesn't matter where it happened and who it was against, alright? You don't need to concern yourself with it," Race said, patting my shoulder.

"No, I do need to concern myself with this stuff. You guys keep whispering about it and you never tell me anything," I replied, knocking his hand away.

"That's because you don't need to worry about it. We don't want you involved," Race said in a concerned voice.

"I'm already involved. You said yourself that I'm a member of the Newsie family now. Doesn't that mean that I should know the family secrets too?" I protested.

"No. You don't need to know and that's final," Race stated, before turning around.

By now the group in front of us had all bought their papes so Race stepped up and ordered fifty papes, completely ignoring me. I stood there, seething. This had to be the fiftieth time the boys had told me that I "didn't need to worry about it" or "shouldn't concern myself with it". I was sick of it. Race finally walked away so I stepped up to the counter.

"The usual," I said curtly.

"Forty papes it is," Wiesel said.

He studied me for a second while Oscar counted out the papes.

"You get in an argument with the guys?" he asked.

"Over something really stupid," I grumbled.

"Yeah, well, they don't have their heads on right most of the time. Don't let it get to you," he said, handing me my papes.

I smiled, glad there was somebody around here who could make fun of the Newsies with me.

"Now get out of here, I've got people in line," he said, waving me away.

I jumped down off the walkway and started to walk out of the gate. The group of guys from before had reformed and all of them were standing right outside. When Race saw me he ran over and grabbed my arm before I could get away. The rest of the boys walked over as well.

"Look Actor, you have to understand-" Race started to say before I cut him off.

"Understand what? That you guys will never tell me anything? That I'll never know what the hell is going on around here?" I said angrily.

"It's just that we think that the less you know, the better," Race explained.

"Yeah, we just think that it'll be safer for you to stay out of what's going on around here," Jack added.

"Oh really, that's what you think? Well I think that I should just find one of these Black King people and ask them for information. Maybe they'll be able to actually tell me what's going on," I shot back.

"You shouldn't even joke about that Actor," Mush said, looking very serious.

"I wasn't," I stated angrily, before tearing my arm away from Race and stalking away in the opposite direction.

To say I was livid right now would be an understatement. I was trying my best to hide it but I think that anyone could tell that I was giving off a bad aura. Honestly, what else could I be feeling right now? Some Newsies just went and beat up members from my gang. My actual family. Not my stupid "Newsie family". I knew Night wouldn't be happy with me about this fight but I couldn't help it. They had crossed a line. It was time for some good old-fashioned revenge. And I was more than willing to help in any way I could to make sure those Newsies paid the full price.


	18. Chapter 18

I desperately wanted to find Night as I stormed off into the streets of Manhattan but I didn't know even where to start looking. For all I knew, he could be off in Queens or Brooklyn, not out of reach for a member of the Black Kings but definitely far enough away from a simple Manhattan Newsie. Despite my previous joy at being able to walk around casually in broad daylight, I now felt a familiar longing for my bandanna and all black clothes that signaled that I could melt into the background at any instant.

Shaking my head, I pushed on until I made it to my familiar selling spot. There were far too many feelings crowding around in my head right now. Night expected me to carry out this mission flawlessly, regardless of any extra emotions I had. Those needed to be put aside for the moment.

'_Pull yourself together Eclipse_,' I thought, '_You're better than this_'

I finally made it to my regular selling spot and started shouting out the headlines. I didn't really pay all that much attention to what I was saying. As long as people kept coming up and giving me money and my pile of papes kept getting smaller, I was fine. It wasn't until later in the day, probably around 5 o'clock, that I managed to sell my last paper. It always got harder as the day went on. Fewer people seemed to be out and about and as the day wore on less were interested in reading about the news for a day that had practically already passed by.

Walking away from my usual spot, I headed back in the direction of the Lodging House. I didn't know if I really wanted to see those guys again yet but I didn't have anywhere else to stay so I said to hell with it. If they wanted to bring it up again they could; I sure wasn't going to. I was passing by a random alleyway when someone close to me spoke up.

"Can I buy a pape?"

I turned around at the sound of a familiar voice but was greeted with any empty space. The voice must have come from the alley and whoever was in there was still hidden within the shadows. I tensed up, staring into the dark trying to see who was in the alley, ready to jump back in case of danger. A shadowy figure finally emerged from the depths of the alley and stood just inside the entrance. I relaxed when I finally realized who it was.

"Good to see you again Eclipse" the figure said.

It was Break, my best friend from the Black Kings. Although we had originally hated each other's guts when we first met, we bonded when we were both jumped in an alley and had to work as a team to fight off the attackers. Since then we've been practically inseparable. He was tall, probably close to six and a half feet, and well built. With sharp brown eyes, tousled brown hair, and a handsome face he had no trouble getting a girl on his arm. I was glad that he was on my side because I sure as hell wouldn't have wanted a Newsie like him coming at me with a baseball bat.

"Good to see you too Break," I replied, grinning at him.

"So, how's life as a Newsie? It's almost the end of your third week, right?" he asked, casually leaning against the wall.

"Oh it's great," I replied sarcastically, "Getting up at the crack of dawn, barely getting money to eat, working your ass off in God knows what kind of weather. It's absolutely lovely. I can't believe it's been three weeks of this torture"

"I'm glad I wasn't the one that Night chose to spy on them. I would've hit something by now," Break laughed at me.

"I'm about ready to. Especially that stupid Spot Conlon. He has it out for me, I just know it. And all because of Holler and his stupid cigarette," I sighed in exasperation.

"What happened?" Break asked.

"Holler left his cigarette on the ground outside the Lodging House when I was talking to him one time. I managed to convince everyone that it was mine and that I was ashamed of doing it and stuff, but Spot is absolutely convinced that I was talking to someone. He even sent a birdie to spy on me when I was at Medda's," I explained.

"That's not good. You need to get him off your back or else they're going to find out your secret," Break said, looking concerned.

"I know, I know. I'm working on it. By the way, thanks for the birthday present. You really shouldn't have spent the money for that,"

"But I have to take care of my favorite girl. I'm glad that you like it," Break said, ruffling my hair.

"Yeah it's beautiful. I'm wearing it right now," I replied, showing him the inside of the collar.

"It looks good on you," Break said, nodding his head in approval.

"Thanks," I replied, flashing him a smile

I had honestly missed Break a lot. He was one of the few Black Kings that I was truly close to and none of the Newsies were anywhere near as fun as he was.

Suddenly, Break's eyes flicked upwards and his eyes changed. I couldn't quite place it but it seemed like a flicker of acknowledgment went through them. I turned around and saw Spot Conlon standing on the opposite side of the street. He had his side to me and it didn't seem like he had seen me or Break yet. I quickly turned back to face Break to tell him to leave but to my surprise the entrance to the alleyway was already empty. I peered into the shadows for a second, trying to see if he was still there, but I couldn't make out anything.

I turned back around to face the street just as Conlon turned his head and locked eyes with me. I didn't really know what to do: should I just walk away and pretend I had just walked out of the alleyway or just stand here and have a staring contest? I had just decided on walking away when Spot motioned me to come over again. My stomach clenched in anticipation as I walked over to Spot. What could he want besides to ask me about Break? What lie would I have to spin this time? Would Spot believe me this time? And, better yet, how in the fuck did he always happen to show up when I was doing something Black Kings related. I tried to think up a variety of different lies as I slowly made my way across the street, careful to avoid eye contact with him until I got close. I stopped a few feet away, happy for any amount of distance between the two of us.

"Hi Spot," I said in greeting.

"I wanted to ask you something," Spot replied, not wasting any time on formalities.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked, trying to stay casual although my heart was racing.

"Would you mind giving this note to Cowboy when you get back to the LH?" he said holding up a folded up note.

"Not at all," I replied smoothly, taking the note out of his grasp.

To say I was surprised was an understatement; I thought for sure he was going to grill me for answers right then and there. I did my best to hide it though. I didn't want him to suspect anything.

"Is that all?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied casually, signaling my dismissal.

"Ok. See you around then," I said before turning and walking away.

Spot didn't reply at all but I could feel his eyes burning two holes into my back as I tried my best not to run away from him. Seriously, I wasn't sure if this kid frightened me, ticked me off, or intrigued me. I pushed the thought out of my head, though, as I turned the corner and booked it towards the LH. No sense in worrying about it. I was just glad I had made it through yet another day with my head intact.

**Spot's POV**

I watched Actor's braid sway back and forth as she hurried away from me. I'll give it to her, that girl was good. I couldn't even tell that she was surprised when I didn't ask her about Break. Honestly, I didn't feel the need to. I didn't want to stand here and listen to another one of her lies. Especially when I knew that I might have even believed them if I hadn't already known she was lying. She was so much like her brother and she didn't even know it… Or did she? Actor was a smart girl, surely she had figured it out by now. Especially the way Cowboy went around dropping hints. But if she had figured it out, then why hadn't she said anything? She had to have an ulterior motive…

I narrowed my eyes as Actor finally disappeared around the corner. I hated how much that girl could make me think in circles until I started to get a headache. But at the same time, that was what made her so alluring. I didn't want to admit it but I had felt a small twinge of jealously when I saw her and Striker hitting it off so well. She never looked at me that way…

I shook my head. I couldn't let these feelings overtake me. I was Spot Conlon for crying out loud. Some girl was not going to spin me around like this.


	19. Chapter 19

The next few days went along without any incident. It was pretty boring to be honest. I hadn't been able to contact Night or Holler at all until yesterday when we confirmed that we would be meeting up today in the same park we had before. I was itching to tell them all about everything I had learned since my birthday party. They really should have talked to me before this, seeing as they knew I would probably have somewhat important stuff to tell them after everything that had happened. Whatever, I'm sure they were off doing important leader stuff.

I had just finished selling for the day and was walking back towards the Lodging House. I decided to take a very roundabout way back and was currently wandering down a small side street that was pretty much deserted except for two other people. I was passing by any alleyway when a voice called out to me.

"Eclipse,"

The voice didn't sound like Break's but for some reason I still expected to see him standing in the alleyway next to me as I turned instinctively to face it. I was not ready, however, for the sight that greeted me.

There, standing in his infamous trench coat and black cowboy hat, was Shade. He was the younger brother of Viper, the old leader of the Black Kings who ruled for the first 3 years I was part of the gang before Night overthrew him. Viper left New York after that happened and Shade quickly disappeared after him. No one knew where he had gone. Some people wondered if he was still hiding out in Manhattan while others claimed he had headed west. There were even a few rumors that Night had disposed of Shade to prevent any chance of a future rebellion.

Shade had been eleven when I had first joined the Black Kings and even at that age he was someone I avoided. He had always exuded a lethal air, like he was just waiting for someone to push him the wrong way so he could beat them up. And he was a damn good fighter.

Now, looking at him, he seemed even deadlier, yet he also had a calm, cold aura about him. I stared in shock at the figure in front of me.

"Shade?" I asked in disbelief.

"What's the matter Eclipse? You look like you've seen a ghost," Shade said, grinning wickedly.

"What are you doing here?" I managed to get out, still trying to process his presence.

"Can't I come back to my favorite city? After all, Night never banished me. He just kicked my brother out," Shade said casually, although a flash of annoyance went through his eyes.

"Of course you can. I was just thinking that if you came back it was for more than just a simple visit," I said carefully.

"You always were a clever one Eclipse. I do have some business to attend to," he said, chuckling.

"What kind of business?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"Just some stuff here and there. You shouldn't worry about me though. I'd be more concerned about your own safety," he replied.

"My safety? I'm perfectly fine," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You're a gang member in the middle of a group of Newsies. Even though they love Actor, they despise the idea of Eclipse. So what happens when your little secret gets out?" he asked, clearly enjoying himself.

"If, not when. And besides, it won't get out," I snapped at him.

"Touchy, touchy. And are you sure about that? You may be a great actor but what happens when the leading role and the other supporting roles fail you?" Shade questioned.

"Night and the others won't fail me. They know what they're doing," I protested.

"Do they? Do they really know how to handle a full out war with the Newsies and a new, power-hungry gang? Night's never had to deal with something like this before. He's never had to deal with his oh-so-loyal supporters suddenly deserting him," Shade shook his head.

"What do you mean his supporters are deserting him? The Black Kings still have plenty of support," I said, confused.

"Not anymore. The Newsies and the Street Sharks have been going around either converting your spies or beating them into submission. You guys are quickly losing ground that you can't afford to lose. Face it, the Newsies are sick and tired of you. They're finally ready to take you guys down," Shade replied.

I stared at him in shock. The Newsies were actually going around getting rid of our supporters? I mean, I remembered now that they were converting some but actually picking off our gang one by one? How had I not noticed this? When in the hell did they find the time to do this rather than sell papers? I mean, that's how every Newsies survived around here. It wouldn't have been possible for them to just suddenly stop selling papers. I would've noticed. Or at least, I should've noticed. Damn it. Damn them!

"Aww, is this news to the all-knowing Eclipse? What's the matter, did your skills fail you for once?" Shade mocked.

"Shut up," I growled at him.

I didn't know what else to say. My mind was still reeling from all of the information.

"I'll let you in on another secret that I happen to know," Shade said, leaning closer as if he were about to say something really big and important.

I stared at him, unsure of what to do. I wanted to know what he was going to say but in the back of my mind I thought that it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to simply walk away right now. After all, who knew for sure if he was lying or not?

"I know who's betraying your precious gang. You'll absolutely die when you hear it," he said mockingly.

"Who is it?" I asked before I could stop myself, curious to know the answer to the question that had been haunting me for the past couple of days.

Shade paused dramatically, smirking at me, before leaning forward more and whispering,

"Break,"

I froze at the sound of my best friend's name. It couldn't be Break. No. Never. He wouldn't do something like that. He wouldn't betray us. We're his family. We're everything for him. He couldn't just go and throw us away like that… Could he?

"I see you'll need a while to process all of this. I'll come find you later on sweetheart," Shade said, carefully reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my ponytail.

I continued to stand there shell-shocked, watching as he turned around and walked away into the alley, melding back into the shadows. I couldn't have been standing there for very long, but suddenly Jack's voice jolted me out of my stupor. I turned and looked at the group standing only a few feet away from me, wide-eyed, half-expecting it to be Shade again, and relaxed a little when I saw who it was. It was just Jack, Race, and Spot standing in front of me. My heart was still racing though and I was on edge.

"Oh, it's you guys," I said before nervously glancing back at the alley.

It was completely empty: Shade had definitely disappeared yet again. I had an uneasy feeling I would be seeing him later though.

"Yeah it's us. Who were you talking to?" Jack said, concern written all over his face. 

"No one," I replied a little too quickly, "no one at all"

"Don't bullshit Actor. We saw the guy reach out from the alley and put your hair behind your ear. Who were you talking to?" Spot said, visibly angry.

"Oh him?" I rambled, instantly regretting my words, "No one important. Just from out of town. You know. Visiting and stuff,"

"And stuff. Really," Jack said, clearly not buying into anything I was saying.

"Yep!" I replied, overly cheerful.

"Care to tell us his name?" Spot asked coldly.

"His name?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yes. His name," Spot replied, talking to me as if I were a child.

If I were in a less scared-out-of-my-mind state, I would've taken offense to him being a jackass yet again.

"He… I don't know his name," I replied.

Which was kind of true. I knew what his nickname was but not his really name. Just kind of stretching the truth a little bit.

Race was about to say something when Spot cut him off.

"Fine. What's his nickname?" Spot asked smoothly.

I completely blanked when he said that. I couldn't come up with a single way to get out of saying his name or even think of a name to say as a lie.

"I've gotta go. Papes to sell still," I said quickly, glancing over at the alley one last time before walking away as fast as possible.

I heard Race start to call after me but then Spot stopped him and said,

"Let her go. We'll talk to her later"

I was silently thankful for the added time to think of ways to avoid Spot and his never-ending questions. I don't know how I was going to get through this one though.

I practically ran in the direction of the little park where Night and Holler had promised they would be today. I needed to talk to them and now.


	20. Chapter 20

I finally made it to Central Park and headed straight towards the edge where the clump of trees was that was the designated meeting place. I barely remembered to check around me for any spies or anyone following me before I practically dove into the middle of them.

I quickly wove through the trees to make it to the small open circle in the middle. Night and Holler weren't there yet to my annoyance so I leaned back on one of the trees and tried to sort everything out in my head that I had to tell Night and Holler. Our gang was starting to fall apart at the seams and I wanted to as well. But Night and the others depended on me. No matter what Shade tried to say, they would support me and I would do the same for them.

I didn't know how long I stood there but finally I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped slightly and got in a defensive position, wide-eyed and ready to protect myself. Instead of Shade or some Newsie, however, Holler and Night were standing in front of me. Holler had been the one to shake me out of my thoughts.

Looking closely at them, I could see bags starting to form under their eyes and they definitely seemed more tired no matter how tall they stood. I guess this war was really taking a toll on everyone.

"Oh it's you," I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?" Holler replied jokingly.

When he say my frazzled state, however, he quickly became more serious.

"What's wrong Eclipse?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Everything," I replied, trying to hold myself together, "At my party a few days ago I listened in on a meeting between some of the leaders. They said that they had been going around talking to members of our gang, trying to convince them to join the side of the Newsies. They claimed that they were having success with this and that we hadn't seemed to notice it yet,"

Night and Holler glanced at each other. Holler looked back at me with a dead serious face and replied,

"We knew about that already actually. We've been trying to make it seem like we haven't but we've been taking precautions to deal with that. Anything else?"

I nodded.

"I saw Shade today," I said quietly.

Night's head whipped around at the sound of Shade's name.

"He's back?" he asked, his stormy gray eyes revealing surprise at this announcement.

"Yes. I saw him today in an alley over on tenth street. He basically just said that he has some business here in town and said that you guys weren't doing your jobs as the "lead actors" and that I might fail since everyone else was," I explained.

"I wonder what he's really doing back," Holler mumbled, glancing over at Night who seemed lost in thought.

"He wouldn't say exactly when I asked him. But my guess is that it can't be good for us," I said.

I watched Night and Holler process the new information and try to make sense of it. I had the next part of my speech for them on the tip of my tongue but I hesitated to say it. Did I really want to condemn Break for something that I didn't even know for sure he was guilty of? Especially since he was my best friend?

"Do you have anything else to tell us?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and saw Holler staring at me oddly. I must've given away some sort of facial expression that showed my inner conflict. I took a deep breath before hesitantly replying.

"Yes. When I was at the birthday party I also heard Jack and Spot mention something else. They said…they said that there was someone in the Black Kings that was giving them information. A traitor,"

I cautiously watched the shock register on Holler's face as he took in the information. Night had his back to us so I couldn't tell what he was thinking but his silence worried me. I took a step towards him, waiting for any sign of acknowledgement.

Suddenly, Night moved.

"Damn it!" he yelled, swinging his hand around.

I saw his fist heading towards my face but barely had time to register what was happening before it hit me. I stumbled backwards from the force of the blow. He had managed to nail me right in the eye and I could already feel it starting to swell. I gingerly touched it and had to suppress a gasp that arose from the pain the blossomed. I looked up and saw Holler looking between me and Night, trying to suppress any emotion in his face. It looked like he wanted to help me but also didn't want to move for fear of angering Night.

Night stood there breathing heavily. We all remained silent for what seemed like forever when finally Night spoke.

"Eclipse, you need to find out who this traitor is. I want to know now who this guy is so I can put a bullet through his skull before he ruins everything," Night said quietly.

I nodded even though I wasn't even sure if he could see me do that or not. Glancing one last time at Holler, I quietly turned around and slid through the trees back out into the open park area. Somehow I remembered to check for anyone who had been following me but saw no one. I quickly started to head off towards the Lodging House, for once looking forward to go back to that pile of sticks.

/

Night and Holler stood there for a little while after Eclipse melted back through the trees. Neither of them said anything for a long time. Finally, Night turned to Holler, breathing heavily.

"Send out a message to everyone. It's time for us to start the battle," he said fiercely.

"Alright," Holler replied calmly.

Night turned and stalked away through the trees, pulling up his bandana as he did so. Holler remained a moment longer, staring back in the direction that Eclipse had left in. He had wanted to protect Eclipse and stop Night but some twisted sense of duty left him rooted in his spot, unable to defend his friend and unable to stand up to his leader. She might not know it, but he had always regarded her as something of a little sister. And deep down, he knew he would be a better big brother than Kelly ever could be.

Sighing, Holler also pulled up his bandanna and headed off in the direction Night had gone.

/

I was practically running yet again today, only this time it was back towards the Lodging House. I fought back the tears that threatened to form. Night had just hit me. He snapped and hit me. Maybe Shade was right. Maybe Night couldn't handle the pressure of this war with the Newsies and Street Sharks. Maybe this really was the end of the Black Kings…

I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I couldn't afford doubt right now. Right now I needed to do my job and find out the traitor. Then we could get rid of him and our chances of surviving and winning would go up.

I slowed down as I finally hit the street where the Lodging House was. As I approached it I straightened myself out and calmed down, putting on an easy-going façade. I also quickly thought up a lie to tell the guys about my new injury. The Delancy brothers would be easy enough to pin the crime on and wouldn't be believed by the Newsies when they tried to deny ever committing the crime.

I finally reached the front door and pulled it open to find the common room full of Newsies just hanging out. Of course. I couldn't get lucky for even one day. Taking a deep breath, I strode into the room and braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions.

"Hey Actor- woah, what happened to your eye?" Race asked, being the first to see me.

Almost immediately that drew the attention of the surrounding boys and I was soon swarmed by them.

"Nice shiner Actor," Blink commented, raising his eyebrows.

"Thanks," I gave him a small smile.

"How'd you get it?" Jack asked, looking me over with the concerned face of a leader.

Or a brother.

"Delancy brothers," I replied, wincing when I gingerly touched my now swollen eye.

"Those scabs. I'll soak 'em," Jack growled, a dark look in his eyes.

"Why did they come after you anyway?" Race asked curiously.

"They wanted to cause trouble like always," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Did you beat them up back?" Mush asked.

"Nah. I just kind of pushed Oscar into Morris and booked it out of there," I replied casually, hiding my annoyance at the disappointed looks on the boys faces.

"Aww Actor you should've soaked 'em both good! I know you can do it, I've seen it before," Race said, punching me lightly in the arm.

"Yeah, don't run, stand up for yourself!" Blink chimed in.

"I would've but I have a curfew to keep," I replied, giving Jack a pointed look and a smile.

"As glad as I am that you're obeying the rules finally, next time just beat 'em into the ground," he said, laying a hand on my shoulder and smiling.

"Aye aye captain," I replied, nodding at him.

The crowd finally started to disperse and return to their previous activities. I turned, intending to head over to the staircase, but stopped when I saw Spot standing next to them, staring at me with that oh-so-annoying analytical stare of his. I gathered my courage and headed over to the staircase. I had just reached them, intent on simply ignoring Conlon, when he spoke up.

"Delancy brothers, huh?" he asked.

"Yep. Trouble-makers, aren't they?" I answered smoothly.

"Yeah. Funny thing, Jack told me that you decked them the last time you fought with them. How'd they get the best of you this time?" Spot observed.

"True. I tried to ignore them this time but Oscar sucker-punched me," I replied.

"Why run away though? Why not just fight like last time?" Spot pressed.

"Well, I don't think Jacky-boy would exactly approve of me fighting with anyone. After all, he won't even let me get back after dark," I said, letting a hint of bitterness creep into my voice.

Spot didn't reply after that so I assumed the conversation was done. I took a step up onto the staircase when Spot's hand came down on my arm in a vise grip.

"We need to talk," Spot said coldly in my ear.

"Ok. But later," I replied quietly after a moment, glancing over my shoulder at the group of boys.

"Fine," he said, releasing my arm and walking away to join the others.

I was very tempted to sigh in relief but refrained from doing so just in case Spot heard. Damn boy had ears everywhere. I had a bad feeling about what this talk would be about but pushed it aside. After all, I was an amazing actor. There was nothing I couldn't handle. Or so I wanted to believe.

I had made it halfway up the staircase when a familiar voice caught my attention.

"Jack, Jack!"

I stopped walking and turned around to look at the voice calling out. Navy, one of Jack's birds, came sprinting into the Lodging House. He skidded to a stop in front of Jack and stayed doubled over for a moment, breathing heavily.

"What is it Navy?" Jack asked, suddenly becoming very serious.

"I…have a…note…for you," Navy managed to say, still wheezing.

He held up a small note he had clutched in his hand. I thought I saw something that looked oddly like a B on the front of the note but I couldn't catch a good enough look before Jack snatched up the note and looked at it. His expression immediately turned dead serious and he sent everyone else away except for Race and Spot. The three of them poured over the contents of the letter, occasionally muttering something to one another. I picked out the phrases "meet tonight" and "Kings". So there was a meeting tonight. And an important one at that. The boys started discussing the letter amongst themselves after they finished reading. Spot must've felt my eyes on them though because he suddenly looked up at me. I met his gaze evenly for a second before turning and casually continuing to walk up the stairs.

There was a meeting tonight. And it had to do with the Black Kings. I knew that this would be a very informative meeting and that I would need to be there. I might be able to learn about future battle plans and, with any luck, the identity of the traitor. Too bad I hadn't been invited to the meeting. That made things a tiny bit harder.

Looks like I would have to just crash the party.

/

Break darted down alleys as fast as he dared to go. He wasn't in his usual Black Kings uniform at the moment which might arouse suspicion from another gang member if he happened to run into one. Instead, he had opted for a look that almost seemed like that of a Newsie. He had just heard about the plan to attack the Newsies and had sent out a note to Jack telling him that they needed to talk. He would give them all of the information they wanted and in return they would finally bring down the Black Kings that he hated so much. And with any luck, Actor would be spared in the process. He actually planned on telling her about his new role soon: given her knack for finding things out, she would probably know sooner rather than later. And it would be better to hear it from him so that he would have the chance to explain himself.

Break finally arrived outside his destination, a small tavern on the outskirts of Manhattan. It seemed innocent enough (as innocent as a bar could be) but in reality it was the unofficial meeting place for the Street Sharks. Opening the door, Break was immediately stopped by two burly boys who were about his size, only a bit shorter. He knew he could take them both if he had to but he didn't plan on that happening. He was here to discuss stuff, not pick fights.

"I need to see Striker," he stated clearly, staring down both boys.

The two boys looked at him and exchanged a look before stepping aside and letting him pass. He nodded to the both of them and stepped past, eyes searching for Striker. They found him at a table somewhat near the back. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and headed over to the table.


	21. Chapter 21

I spent the next few hours sitting around impatiently in the boy's bunkroom, playing poker games and listening to Mush's bad stories, all the while keeping an eye on Jack, Race, and Spot. The three mostly talked amongst themselves during the time in hushed voices, ceasing their discussion whenever someone came up to them. Only three times did they ever break apart during that time period. Once was when Race walked over to Giant and whispered something in his ear. Giant listened carefully and nodded his head before turning back to his conversation with Rose.

'_They probably want him for muscle and intimidation at the meeting'_ I thought.

True to his name, Giant was a staggering 6'4" already and built like a brick wall. I swear the Lodging House shook whenever he walked around.

The second time was when Race went over to talk to Sneak over by the window. Sneak was a Newsie who would've been far better off as a Black King. The kid had some serious sneaking skills, which meant that he would probably be the one in charge of looking out for anyone who was crashing the party, since he would be able to move around undetected and find them. In other words, probably my biggest threat to listening in on the meeting. I was annoyed that I didn't know where the meeting was because then I couldn't plan ahead on what I was going to do. Instead, I tried to come up with different scenarios and how I would be able to listen in on the meeting in each one.

It was Conlon who left to talk to someone the third time. He walked over to his second-in-command, Spark, who was involved in what looked like a very heated poker game. Spark listened intently to Spot, nodded his head quickly, and went back to looking like he would kill someone who dared to have a better hand than him. Apparently he was actually a pretty good guy but I could think of plenty of Black Kings who had met with the end of his fist who would tell you differently.

After that Jack, Race, and Spot all disappeared. I became a bit anxious about that but told myself that as long as Giant, Sneak, and Spark were left, I was okay because it meant the meeting hadn't started yet. At least I hoped so. Unless those three were just supposed to look after the Lodging House while Jack, Race, and Spot were gone. I almost threw down my cards and stormed out of the room when I saw Giant stand up and shoot a look at Sneak and Spark before leaving the room. I stayed in my seat and watched carefully as a minute later Sneak left, shooting Spark a final look before slipping out the door.

'_So they're staggering when the guys leave so it doesn't arouse suspicion…pretty smart_' I thought.

Sure enough, a minute later Spark stood up and left. I refused to wait a full minute and counted to thirty seconds in my head before excusing myself from the game and walking out of the room. The hallway was deserted and I paused at the top of the stairs, listening for any sort of conversation downstairs. I didn't hear anything so I cautiously made my way down the stairs, dodging the planks that I knew would creak under my weight. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw that the common area was completely empty. I heard the voice of Jack outside and I got as close as I dared to the dare, yet again worrying about the chance of someone opening the door and finding me eavesdropping.

I listened intently and but couldn't make out anything because Jack was talking too softly. Damn him. How was a girl supposed to hear him if he didn't speak up?

Suddenly, two new voices caught my attention. One of them sounded like Spot's and I assumed the other belonged to Spark. They drifted from the back of the room, probably from the hallway just outside the common area that led to the so-called "kitchen". What a joke. It was really just a stove and table. Nothing special.

The second I heard the two voices I quickly darted to the wall so that I was opposite the staircase. I casually pressed myself against the wall, wishing I was the same color as it.

The door at the back of the room suddenly opened and Spark appeared. He was still looking over his shoulder at Spot and threw one more "Got it" before turning back to face forward. I stayed completely still, barely daring to breath. It wouldn't be hard to explain myself to him. I would just say that I was waiting to talk to Spot, which was true. I just didn't really want to have to do that. To my surprise, Spark strode straight past me without a single glance in my direction. He seemed a bit lost in thought but still. I felt like I was wearing bright green against a black backdrop. I would've thought he would've seen me.

Spot came out of the back area only seconds after Spark left through the front door. I continued to stay stock still, anticipating on Conlon noticing me. And even if he didn't, I still planned on catching his attention. Surprisingly enough, he also made it to the front door without seeing me. However, I quickly spoke up before he was able to open the door.

"Where are you running off to Conlon? I thought you wanted to talk to me," I said, a bit condescendingly.

I couldn't help it. I really wanted to push his buttons after all the attitude he had given me recently.

Spot turned and glared at me. If he was surprised at all at just noticing me, he didn't give it away at all.

"Don't worry, that'll happen. I have more important things to do right now," Spot replied coldly, staring me down.

I just smirked and casually walked towards him. I brushed past him and started walking up the stairs without a single backwards glance. I needed him to think that I was just going upstairs to maybe play some more poker, but certainly not to follow him wherever he was going. I could feel his eyes like burning pokers on my back but I didn't falter. It wasn't until I made it up the stairs that I finally heard the front door open and close. I smirked at the thought of him. Important things…like talking to your informant? Who may or may not be Break? My smirk faded into a frown as I played back the image of Shade saying Break's name, pointing him out as the informant. I didn't want to believe it but if it was true than that meant that the future of the Black Kings, my only real family, was in jeopardy. And possibly my closest friendship.

I started walking down the hallway and had just made it to the girls room when the door opened and Rose stepped out.

"Oh Actor! Sorry I didn't see you there," she said, smiling brightly.

"It's fine," I replied, returning the smile.

"What are you up to?" she asked curiously.

"Just heading off to bed," I replied.

"Already? It's so early," she commented, frowning slightly.

"Honestly I feel like I'm starting to catch something. I think I just need to sleep it off though," I replied, doing my best to seem a little run-down.

Given my hectic past few days and trashed emotional state, it wasn't hard.

"Oh no, I hope you feel better," she said, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Thanks," I replied giving a small smile before moving past her into the room.

For once luck was actually on my side and the room was completely empty. I quickly walked over to my bed and started to stuff my extra clothes that were lying under the bed under the bedspread to make it look like I was sleeping there. Not to brag, but it looked pretty good. I surveyed my work but decided it needed to look even more authentic. I took off my shoes and laid them on the ground and stuck my socks under the blanket to look more like a head. I also took off my hat and laid it on the ground. It might have left me more vulnerable and more likely to hurt my feet but the price was worth it in order to fool the girls. I just prayed they wouldn't find my decoy. Hopefully the fear of getting sick themselves would keep them away and they wouldn't try and come over to me.

I checked over my "sleeping self" one last time before nodding in approval. This would fool them as long as they didn't try to touch me. I quickly made my way over to the window and climbed through onto the metal fire escape outside. I tried to run down the fire esccape quietly and swiftly. It turned out that the lack of shoes was actually better for me because my bare feet barely made a sound on the cool metal. The night itself wasn't too bad. It had started getting hot recently but tonight was a more comfortable, warm temperature with a slight breeze.

I made it to the end of the fire escape and jumped the rest of the way down. I personally thought it was stupid that these things didn't go all the way to the ground but whatever. At least I could climb back up onto them without a ladder.

I silently made my way to the front of the building, staying close to the wall at all times, always within the shadows. Despite not being a Black King for almost a month now, my previous years of training quickly kicked back in and I became a shadow again.

I paused at the edge of the building, listening carefully for the voices of the Newsies. I could hear them, but they sounded somewhat faint and were growing more and more distant. Daring to peek around the corner, I saw a black mass of people in the distance walking away. They were far enough away that I carefully slid around the front of the Lodging House and started jogging after them. I made sure to keep in the shadows at all times, constantly switching between looking down at the ground and at the group. I had to keep an eye on them but I also had to make sure I wouldn't trip and give away my position. The streets of New York always had some random trash you could easily get caught on.

By jogging I got within thirty feet of them and then slowed to a walk. I was just far enough away that I would remain a blur in the shadows and they wouldn't be able to see me. Any closer and they might be able to make me out, especially since I wasn't dressed in my customary all-black uniform. I quickly counted the group up ahead and listened to their voices. There was Jack and Spot definitely, judging by the cowboy hat and cane. Those two idiots couldn't let go of the two things that made them stand out even in the dark. Giant was there as well, looming in the darkness. I heard Race's thick Italian accent and deduced that the last boy had to be Spark since he was a lot bigger than Sneak. Wait a minute… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…there were only five boys. I immediately sprang into the nearest doorway that provided some cover and flattened myself against it. Sneak wasn't with them. Which meant he was patrolling the streets looking for any spies and such. Shit. If he saw me already…

Suddenly a figure emerged from the alleyway only ten feet away from me. I quickly brought my head back behind the small brick wall I had taken cover behind and wished I was invisible. If he had seen me, then I would have to fight him off and run away. It wouldn't be a problem; I could easily deck Sneak. Only it would ruin the mission and the boys would probably call off the meeting which would also ruin the entire night. And if Sneak happened to catch a glance of my face… I shuddered at the thought. My Newsie career would be over.

I held my breath until I heard his footsteps head off in the same direction as the group. Voices floated back to me in the darkness.

"See anyone?" Jack asked.

"Nope. Thought so for a second, but it was just a shadow," Sneak replied.

"Are you sure? Those Black Kings are practically shadows themselves," Spot said.

"Yes I am. I know the difference between the night and a person, even if they are wearing all black," Sneak replied with a hint of annoyance.

"Good job. You can stay up with us until we hit the meeting place, then I want you patrolling around the area," Jack explained.

Sneak didn't reply but I assumed he nodded in response. Honestly, those Newsies had no idea how far your voice traveled, especially in the dark when everything was finally silent. That's why the Black Kings relied on hand signals rather than speech at night when they were on a mission. That way you didn't give away your position.

I slowly stuck my head back out and saw them farther away this time. I peeled myself away from the door and continued after them, mentally kicking myself. If I had been only a few feet further…I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I just had to stay focused. I knew Sneak was up there with the group so I didn't have to worry about him until later on when we reached the meeting place. I was curious as to where they had decided to meet and imagined different places as I continued after the Newsies through the darkness.

/

Back at the Lodging House

"I can't believe Actor went to bed so early," Match said as the girls all walked into the girl's bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Well, she told me she didn't feel all that good. She thought she was starting to catch something," Rose explained quietly.

"Eww. I'm staying far away from her. The last thing I want is to catch something," Glasses muttered, wrinkling her nose.

"Shouldn't we check on her or something though? You know, just to see if she's okay?" Firelight asked.

"No, it'll be better to just let her sleep. No sense in waking her up now that's been asleep for a few hours," Rose said firmly.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Match chimed in.

The rest of the girls all agreed and went about getting ready for bed. They cut their normal routines a bit short just to try and make as little noise as possible in order not to disturb the "sleeping" Actor in her bunk. They were all so preoccupied with being quiet that they failed to remember to close the window like normal. The blinds fluttered slightly in the breeze, an open invitation to those outside.


	22. Chapter 22

After about twenty more minutes of walking and weaving through the streets of Manhattan, the group finally slowed down. I listened carefully to the voices up ahead.

"Alright Sneak, you keep a continuous lookout for anyone who doesn't belong. Remember the signal for it. And also remember that Streets is going to be out here as well. So don't call each other out okay?" Jack said.

"Got it," Sneaks replied before darting off to the left.

"Alright guys, let's go," Jack said, and the group disappeared off into a dark alley.

I knew this place fairly well. We were in one of the shadier parts of Manhattan and so-called Street Sharks territory. There were three buildings on this plot of land that seemed awkward and out-of-place on the grid but the buildings had three surrounding alleyways that all converged into something of a small square in the center, pretty perfect for meetings. Two of the buildings were factories that were to be demolished in a few weeks. But then again, the city said that the last time and that was seven months ago. The other building was a big abandoned tenement house. Normally people would still be living in it, "abandoned" or not, but a fire had blazed away on the inside, leaving nothing but an empty shell with plenty of scorch marks and some metal fire escapes. A lot of good those did. I heard at least half of the people inside the building at the time were killed. It was probably more but the city wanted to cover it up to make it look better than it actually was. Still, I remember the Newsies yelling out "Thousands Die in Apartment Fire" after the incident even though only maybe 700 people had lived in there. Liars.

I got as close as the shadows allowed me and surveyed the area. I knew there were only three entrances and two people guarding them. Speaking of which, who in the hell was Streets? Whatever, he was just a problem. Sneaks had darted to the left to cover that entrance. And Streets was probably on the right one. They probably figured that if anyone entered the one the Newsies had gone through they would be seen by them. Only a stupid person would take that route. Besides, I wanted to go through the left entrance. That was where the old tenement building was. It was the only place that would provide decent coverage. They knew no floors existed anymore so they would all be looking at the first floor and maybe the fire escape. As long as I got inside I would most likely be fine.

I backtracked to the last alley I had come across and ran through it and the next one till I hit the street. Then I took a right and ran up one block until I came to an alley on the right and I slipped in there. Stealthily making my way through it I stopped just short of the entrance and surveyed the area. I was right across from the tenement building, and only a little ways away from the alley that led to the meeting. I scanned the dark slowly and finally found where Sneak was hiding. He wasn't doing a half-bad job of it but years of training had taught me to pick out people hiding in the dark. Even other Black Kings. He was close to the entrance but just far enough away to the left that most people wouldn't think to look there. He had a vantage point of everything which wasn't good for me.

I thought quickly. The meeting might start any second and every second I missed was another chance missed of finding out the traitor and saving our position in this war. I needed some sort of distraction. Back tracking again, I went out to the street and headed up a little bit again. I came across another alleyway and quickly ran down it. At the end of it, I surveyed my position again. This time Sneak was to my right. Perfect. I backed up a little bit in the alley and saw a trash can right next to me and a barrel a little ways off. Quickly, I tipped the trash can over. I winced when it crashed: I hated making noise in the night. It sounded so much harsher. I waited a few more seconds before knocking over the barrel so it made noise too, before booking it back to my previous alley.

Once I was back in the alley, I peered out. Sure enough, the noise I had made had caught Sneak's attention and drawn him from his post. He was almost at the entrance of the other alley, moving slowly and cautiously, occasionally glancing back this way. Damn, he was good. I waited until he was fully in the other alley before quickly sprinting across the open street and swiftly jumping through a burned out window.

I landed silently, thank goodness, and stayed in a crouched position for a moment, surveying this new area. The floor was littered with debris; it would be difficult to make it through without making noise. The area was largely blackened and thankfully empty. I slowly started to pick my way through the debris, keeping low to the ground in case anyone decided to come looking in here.

I was about halfway across the massive space when I heard footsteps just outside the door. I immediately lay on the ground and curled up into a ball just behind what was left of a table. I didn't even dare to breathe: I was sure it was Sneak, coming to check up in here to make sure no one had gotten in while he was distracted. Again, this kid was pretty good. Luckily, he never entered the building and instead probably stood there surveying the wreckage before finally I heard his footsteps retreating.

I counted to fifteen in my head just to be sure before peeking above the table to check if he was gone. He was. I carefully continued to pick my way across the room, again staying low to the ground, tense with the anticipation of Sneak coming back. I safely made it across the room and surveyed the wall in front of me from a crouched position. There were plenty of holes and cracks in the wall for me to climb with. As I looked for a suitable vantage point, I finally found it: there was a small window that was completely blackened from the fire on what was once the third floor. It was up high enough that they wouldn't think to look for me yet low enough that I would be able to hear everything.

I quickly found some hand and footholds and started the slow ascent. I had to be careful because everything was old and ruined. Something could easily fall off and if I hit the ground I would either be dead or definitely caught. Also, if something fell off and made a sound that could also get me found out. I almost fell once when the piece of wood I was holding onto with my left hand came off but I managed to keep my balance and place the wood on the window next to me. That way it wouldn't hit the ground and make a sound.

I eventually made it to my destination and carefully climbed onto what was left of the window. It was actually pretty wide; it must have been designed with the purpose of sitting on it in mind. Still, one of my legs dangled off because of the shutter. It took up some space but I was fine with it because it offered perfect coverage. The window area was completely blackened which made it easier to blend in and the one shutter left (the other had fallen off at some point) allowed me to see and hide at the same time. I made myself comfortable and then surveyed the area below.

Jack and the others stood around patiently waiting and occasionally talking to yet another group that had arrived. There were only three of them but I instantly recognized the one standing in the very front: Striker. I hadn't seen him in a while and had almost forgotten how cute he was. I still tensed up from the presence of the Street Sharks though. Damn idiots who thought they could take New York from us. I looked behind Striker and saw Trap and Brick, two guys whom I'd met back at my birthday party. Both of them looked slightly on edge, compared to Striker who was calm and collected. I hate to admit it, but that guy was impressive.

The presence of the Street Sharks also meant that the Streets kid they were talking about earlier was most likely a new gang member and one who was probably pretty good at patrolling the streets. I was very glad I had picked to outwit Sneak. I at least knew his way of working somewhat.

Suddenly, both groups hushed and turned to look at the newest arrival. I couldn't see who it was yet because they were hidden by the shadows and partially blocked from my view by the window.

"Glad you finally made it," Jack commented, nodding at the new arrival.

"So, what can you tell us this time about the Black Kings' movements?" Striker asked.

My heart sank all the way to my stomach when I saw who stepped out from the shadows.

It was Break.


	23. Chapter 23

I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and then punched me in the chest too for good measure. Break really was the traitor. My best friend… he had just given me a birthday gift not too long ago. The cold metal of the pin burned against my skin and I itched to take it off but I knew I shouldn't move. All the while he was whispering secrets to the Newsies and the Street Sharks. In fact, who knows how long he'd been doing it. It might've been even before I "joined" the Newsies. It hurt even more to think that he had been betraying me right under my very nose.

I tried to push my pain to the back of my head and instead concentrated on the conversation going on below me.

"I can tell you a lot," Break started to explain with a smirk, "Night just sent out the word to ready the battle plans. I don't know what you did but it spooked him. He looked a little worn out last time I saw him,"

"Good to know we've got him on the run," Jack said, smiling broadly.

"Yep. They've finally figured out that you guys have been converting or beating up their spies. I think it just hit Night how much ground he's actually lost. And that attack from not too long ago had some good effects too. Some of the Black Kings are worried about going out on the streets since you guys did such a number on those four"

"Good to know our work is appreciated," Race joked, earning a laugh from everyone.

I gritted my teeth in anger but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Night and Holler also got word of Shade being back in town. I think that frightened Night more than anything. I think he sees Shade as more of a threat since Shade would more likely have a deeper grudge against him," Break explained.

"What else about Shade? Have you talked to him again?" Striker questioned.

"Yeah I have. He's as unpredictable as I remember but he definitely wants to see the gang fall. He's been talking to some guys he knows who could help us out in a fight. Which we'll want since Night's about to officially declare war," Break said.

"That guy is very…interesting. I don't really approve of his unpredictability," Striker commented carefully.

"Guy's been crazy for as long as I can remember," Break replied, shaking his head, "don't worry about it at all"

"Would Shade have talked to Actor at all for any reason?" Spot spoke up suddenly.

Everyone looked at him in surprise when he said that. Break seemed especially taken aback for a moment before composing himself.

"I'm not sure. She didn't say anything about it the last time I talked to her but he could have. Actor lived in an alley maybe two blocks from where Shade hung out. I'm certain the two ran into each other and knew each other," he answered carefully.

I had to give him props for that answer. It wasn't entirely true but it wasn't entirely a lie either. I had lived in an alley not far from where he hung out. It's just that after the first time we met I ended up joining the Black Kings. Not exactly what you call 'running into' each other.

"Wait a second, you said she lived in an alley?" Jack questioned, looking put off.

"Yep. She was like most other kids in that area. None of us had homes or family or anything to go to,"

"She had a family," Jack said, a bit fiercely.

Break regarded him calmly before speaking again.

"You should talk to her about you two being siblings soon. She deserves to know what happened to her brother," he said.

Jack didn't say anything in reply but simply nodded. I could tell he was still torn up about me living on the streets. Whatever, it's not like it bothered me. I made do with what I could. End of story.

The silence was broken again, this time by Striker.

"So, have any solid battle plans been made yet?" he asked.

"Nothing is set in stone yet but Night hinted at using similar strategies that we've used before. Most of it involves individual night attacks and a few day attacks, weakening the enemy. Then there will be a full force battle to decide everything," Break explained.

"Let me guess: that battle will be at night?" Race said sarcastically.

"Surprisingly no," Break said, smirking a tiny bit, "while Black Kings do favor the dark of night they also have the pride of kings. When they win, they want that to be in broad daylight so everyone can see and know. Of course, there will most likely be s surprise attack from behind at some point in the battle so you'll have to be ready for that,"

"That sounds like them," Jack snorted.

"Whatever they try and throw at us we'll be ready for them," Spot said firmly.

"I have confidence that you will. I'll be sure to let you all know the battle plans when Night finally lets us know," Break replied.

"Sounds good. We'll be seeing you soon Break," Jack said, walking over and shaking Break's hand.

Spot and Striker did the same before the groups all dispersed and walked away in different directions. Break lingered behind for a moment. I saw him lift his head to survey the surrounding buildings, probably double-checking to make sure there wasn't anyone listening in, even though by now it was somewhat pointless. I hid completely behind the shutter and counted to thirty. When I peeked out again, Break was gone.

I'm sure I would've been noticed if I hadn't hidden. Break always was very good at picking out things that didn't belong, particularly people.

I quickly checked around the warehouse to make sure no one had snuck in here without me noticing before begin my careful descent. Getting down was definitely more difficult than getting up. Everything I had stepped on before had probably been weakened by already supporting my weight once so I had to be even more careful. Still, I tried to go at a good pace. I needed to get back to the Lodging House before the other Newsies just to be safe.

I decided to pick speed over stealth and jumped the final few feet to the ground, landing with only a small sound.

'_Not bad_,' I thought to myself.

Staying low to the ground just like before, I quickly wove my way around the debris of the warehouse. I made it across and had to restrain myself from just jumping out the window again. I forced myself to stand still for ten seconds and listen for signs of someone who might still be lingering around here. Hearing nothing, I cautiously peeked out the window at the street. Once I was satisfied that no one was there I quickly hoisted myself through the window.

I knew that the Newsies would take the most direct way back to the Lodging House so I quickly ran only a block in that direction before turning right down a random alley. If I could get over a few streets, there was less chance of the Newsies catching me as I returned. I decided that two blocks would be far enough over, especially since the alleys that did go all the way through often didn't match up so it was hard to see down them at people on other streets. Which was perfect for me.

I had gone over one block already and was jogging over to the next alleyway. I was about halfway down it when I stopped dead in my tracks. There, passing by the entrance of the alley, were the Street Sharks. There were eight of them this time, which means that more had been roaming the area than I thought. I stayed as still as possible but it didn't do any good. One of the Street Sharks turned his head to look in the alley and stopped abruptly when he saw me. Knowing I had been seem, I instinctively did the exact thing we were taught to do as Black Kings when we were absolutely sure we had been seen: run. I turned around and sprinted out of there. Immediately there was yelling behind me and I heard footsteps.

I tried not to panic and ran as fast as I could. I was booking it as I ran down the street. Judging by the footsteps, there was only one person kind of close to me and the rest were pretty far behind. And unfortunately the person close to me was getting even closer. I tried to pick up my speed but that failed since a hand suddenly grasped my upper arm in a death grip.

Instinctively I turned and slammed my fist into the side of the person's face. That's what had been drilled into me over and over again as a Black King when we were in danger of being caught and now I was glad for the training.

The person that had grabbed my arm tightly now completely let go and stumbled backwards from my blow. I wasted no time and immediately turned back around and sprinted away as fast as I could in the direction of the Lodging House. All I wanted right now was to put as much distance as possible between me and them. With any luck, they wouldn't continue to try and pursue me. That would be just my luck, having the Street Sharks run into the Newsies and being chased by both groups of boys.

/

"Ow, what the hell," Speed said, cradling his face in his hands.

He was sure he would have a bruise tomorrow. The rest of the pack finally caught up to him, breathless and disappointed to see a lone figure far off in the distance.

"What happened Speed, I thought you had him?" Brick said, breathing heavily.

"Her. And I did for a second before she punched me in the face," Speed replied, a bit snappy.

"Wait, her? How did you know?" Lights (**A/N new Street Shark**) asked.

"Well, she had long hair and had…" Speed trailed off, glad that the darkness hid his blush.

"Curves?" Brick teased.

"Yeah," Speed mumbled while the others laughed.

"Did she have a bandanna?" Striker questioned, hiding his breathlessness better than the rest.

"Nope nothing. Not even around her head or arm or anything," Speed answered.

"She was probably just some street kid who got scared and booked it. There's plenty in this area. I mean, she didn't even have a hat or shoes. No Black King would go around looking like that," Trap said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

The group reformed and continued heading back to their hiding place, completely oblivious to the fact that they had actually almost captured a Black King, and a spy at that.

/

I raced down the streets probably faster than I ever have before, still feeling a rush of adrenaline coursing through me. That Street Shark had almost caught me. If he had caught me he would've seen my face. My entire cover would've been blown. And the chances of me getting out of that situation cleanly were about zero.

I ignored the growing pain in my side as I sprinted along the streets, completely ignoring any fear I had of running into the Newsies. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew I was being dangerously reckless but the fear that still flowed through my veins told me to keep running no matter what.

Don't stop. Don't get caught. That was all that mattered.

I almost didn't realize I was at the back of the Lodging House until I practically sprinted past it. Skidding to a stop, I backtracked and practically flew down the alley that led to the fire escape I needed to get up. I'll admit it, I was being sloppy. I quickly climbed up part of the brick wall to reach the fire escape and hoisted myself up onto the cold metal. Once again, I was glad for my lack of shoes as I quickly ran up the fire escape, barely making a sound. As I reached the window to the girls' dormitories I slowed to a stop. Again, I forced myself to stand completely still and listen for any signs that someone was up. Once I had determined that everyone was asleep, I crept through the window. I was grateful that my bed was so close to the window for once.

I was about to slip into bed when I remembered my feet. Without any shoes on, they would be pretty dirty. And if Spot saw them in the morning that would just mean yet another pain in the ass for me when he grilled me about the state of my feet. I quickly tiptoed across the room and slipped through the door. I hated that the washroom was right next to the boys' bunkroom but I would have to deal.

Once in the washroom I quickly grabbed a random towel on the floor and put a little bit of water on it. Sitting on the edge of one of the sinks, I started scrubbing furiously at my feet. I know I didn't have a lot of time before the rest of the Newsies got back, especially if Brooklyn decided to stay yet again. Once I deemed that my left foot was a more believable level of dirty I switched to my right foot. I scrubbed vigorously at that one too until I deemed it good enough. Once I was done I walked over to the dirty towels/clothing bin and buried the towel deep underneath the others. I had become so paranoid with Spot around that I was extra careful about everything I did.

Satisfied, I walked over to the door leading to the hallway, wiping the sweat off my face from my run. Right as I opened the door, I practically ran into Cowboy.

There, standing in front of me, was the group of six guys that had all been at the meeting. Looking up in surprise, I immediately decided to play the sick card. After all, Rose and the other girls would be able to back me up on this so Spot wouldn't be all over me about it.

"Actor?" Jack said in surprise.

"Hi guys," I replied, putting on my best fake sick persona.

"What are you doing up so late?" Jack asked.

"I don't feel good. I think I'm coming down with a fever or something," I replied, grimacing and hunching over slightly.

"Oh geez, do you need anything?" Jack immediately asked, putting a hand to my forehead, "Jesus, you're pretty hot,"

"I'm fine I think I just need more sleep," I responded, starting to slowly shuffle back towards the girls' room.

"Just come and get me if you need anything," Jack called after me.

I could hear the desperate protectiveness of a brother in his voice and my chest started to hurt again. He was trying so hard to be a good brother. Part of me wanted to let him in and part of me wanted to punch him repeatedly for leaving me out on the streets for so long. I slowly turned back around to face him and the rest of the guys,

"I will, thanks Cowboy," I replied weakly, before finally disappearing through the door to the girls' bedroom,

I immediately walked over to my bed and laid on it with the covers practically pulled up over my head. I was done with today. All I wanted was to drift away into a dreamless state right now. Drift away from all of Manhattan, hell, all of New York City. Just to be away was enough…


	24. Chapter 24

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Kloppman yelling. Normally I managed to wake up before that but I had spent most of last night tossing and turning, replaying the events of last night in my head as Break stepped out of the shadows and spilled all of our secrets to the Newsies. I was extremely anxious to see Night and Holler again and tell them everything but I was also hesitant. Break would be punished for this no doubt. I didn't want to see that happen but I didn't want the Black Kings to fall either. And I couldn't choose friendship over family.

I finally managed to sit up after kicking off my covers and rubbed my eyes. Well, at least I now looked the part of the recovering sick person. I probably looked terrible.

"Hey Actor, how are you feeling today?" Rose asked as jumped down from her bunk.

"Better, thanks," I replied, flashing a tired smile.

"Glad to hear it. And I'm glad you got plenty of sleep last night," she said before heading off to the washroom.

That meant that none of the girls had tried to wake up my pile of blankets last night. Good.

I stood up and stretched before also making my way over to the washroom. It was crowded but I managed to find an open sink and go through my normal routine before heading back to the bunkroom. I was slow this morning so all of the other girls were already out while I was pulling my shoes on. As I picked my hat up off the ground, I saw two pieces of paper flutter down to the ground.

I stared down at the pieces of paper, a bad feeling starting to form in the pit of my stomach. I slowly bent over and picked them up. There was no writing on the outside of either one so I unfolded one of them and stared at the familiar writing on the sheet.

"H and I will be in Queens for the next two days. If you need to talk to us you can find us when we get back. N," the first piece of paper read.

I knew that one was from Night. I slowly unfolded the second one and again found myself staring at familiar handwriting.

"I need to talk to you. Meet me at pier 21 tomorrow night. B," it read.

I stared down at the writing in shock. On one hand, it was actually good that I would be able to talk to Break before Night. Maybe I would be able to figure some more things out. On the other hand I was dreading having this talk because I knew what would come out of it. Also, how dare he use the same dock as a meeting place that Night also used. It was like a "screw you" in the face of the Black Kings since Break was a traitor. Also, these notes were without a doubt delivered by Break at the same time. It made my stomach churn to know that a traitor was handling Night's notes.

I quickly stuffed the two notes into my pocket and placed my cap on my head. I would think these things over more when I was out selling papers. Now was not the time to seem distracted. I opened the door to step out into the hallway and almost collided with the one and only Spot Conlon. In true Conlon fashion, he wasted no time and got right to the point.

"We need to have that talk," Spot said, his usual cold look in place.

"You sure you don't have to run off somewhere again," I replied casually.

"What I do is none of your business," Spot replied sternly.

"Alright, whatever. Tonight then," I replied, finally letting myself roll my eyes.

"What's with the attitude all of the sudden? Where did that nice-girl act go?" Spot asked.

"I tried being nice. And it didn't work so I'm just not taking the high road any longer," I said, finally forcing my way past him.

I walked down the hallway and joined the stream of Newsies all rushing out on their way to the Distribution Center. There was no avoiding Conlon tonight. I would have to face him and tell him the truth. Or at least as much of the truth as I wanted him to know. I couldn't let him know that I was currently in the Black Kings. But he was already suspicious so I might be able to spin a story that would throw him off of my trail.

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly. Most of the time I was lost in my thoughts, planning my speech to give to Spot later on. What would be good to tell him? What might make him even more suspicious? I was glad to have a lot of time to myself to sort everything out.

After a quick dinner at Tibby's everyone headed back to the Lodging House for the usual fun and games before bedtime. I sat down just outside of a poker game, pretending to be interested. I resisted the temptation to look around the room for Spot. I knew he was in here; it was just a matter of waiting for him to come over to me and tell me where and when to meet him.

Finally, I felt a presence standing behind me, also watching the game. I thought it was Conlon, but I wasn't sure. After a little bit, the person behind me stooped down so they could talk to me and I immediately recognized Conlon's voice.

"Meet me on the roof in ten minutes," Spot whispered in my ear before slipping off somewhere.

I turned my attention back to the poker game, pretending like everything was okay. The minutes ticked by extremely slowly and it took all my willpower not to check my small pocket watch every five seconds. Finally, it was time for me to go meet up with Spot. I quietly excused myself from the circle (I don't even think anyone noticed) and slipped into the hallway. I decided it would be easiest to go out through the girl's bedroom and then make my way to the roof. I walked into the girls' bunkroom and walked to the other end but I paused at the window, listening intently. I heard the voices of Jack and Race but they sounded like they were below me. Not up on the roof where Spot was supposed to be waiting. I cautiously stepped out onto the fire escape and the voices below me ceased.

'_They must be below me on the fire escape_' I thought.

Not that it really mattered. They could hear whatever I had to say. My focus was on convincing Spot since he would be the hardest to deal with.

I hoisted myself onto the roof and saw Spot standing exactly in the middle of it. His back was towards me but when he heard me climb onto the roof he turned and faced me. I didn't know what to say so I walked over to a pile of crates on the roof. Who knows what in the hell they were for but I was going to use them temporarily as a seat. I sat down on one of them and leaned back against a stack of two. I pulled a cigar out of my pocket that I'd "borrowed" from Racetrack. Glancing at Spot, I held up the cigar and said,

"Do you mind if I smoke? I don't like to talk for a long time without one,"

"It's fine," he replied.

"Thanks," I said, placing the cigar in my mouth and fishing out a packet of matches I had with me.

Suddenly, Spot spoke up.

"Will you answer every single question I ask you?" he questioned.

"I will. I suppose I owe you at least that," I replied calmly.

"And do you swear to tell me nothing but the truth?" he asked.

I looked him over carefully once before replying.

"I do"

Spot nodded his approval at my response.

"Alright then, let's get started," I said, lighting up my cigar, "What do you want to know?"

There was a slight pause before Spot replied,

"Tell me about your life,"

I exhaled a cloud of smoke before turning to look at him.

"The whole thing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Spot just nodded in response so I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's see then. I was born across town over by the docks in a small house my family rented. I had a mother, a father, and a brother. When I was very little, about five, my father started to get in debt from horse races. He picked up as many jobs as possible to pay it off. The rest of us even pitched in as well. I helped my mother make ornaments to sell and my brother did odd jobs here and there. I remember him coming back one day raving about a job he'd gotten as a Newsie. He loved it. Talked about the guys, the Lodging House, all this stuff. Quite frankly I didn't care all that much," I explained.

I paused for a second to take a long drag out of my cigar. I didn't like telling Spot all of this stuff but if it got him to trust me somewhat and back off then it was worth it.

"One day my father went out drinking with his friends. On their way back home they ran into some guys who my dad had just finished paying back money. They apparently had also been drinking and started a fight with my father, demanding more money. My father hit a guy on the head with an empty bottle in an attempt to defend himself. The guy started bleeding and everyone ran away, leaving him to die in the street. The bulls came and arrested my father and he was sentenced for twenty years in prison which was more time than necessary because he was also charged for some unpaid debt,"

I paused again, this time to relive those memories inside my head. The day they came to take my father away I just remember a blur of figures as I cried my eyes out on the kitchen floor while my mother tried to soothe my angry brother who was yelling after my father as he got dragged out by the bulls. It was terrible.

"And then what happened?" Spot asked.

I snapped out of my reverie and carried on telling my story, but not before noting that Spot had been surprisingly gentle in asking me to continue.

"Well once my father was in jail my mother got a job as a maid at some rich guy's house. I was six and didn't understand anything except that I didn't want to go with my mother and work like that. So I left her and eventually ended up in the bad side of Manhattan, around Canal Street. I lived in an alleyway for about a year and a half, maybe closer to two. I made my living by stealing food when I could and going hungry when I couldn't. I was very lucky that I never got caught up in a fight or anything. Most of the time when that happened I just ran. Got pretty good at it too," I said, chuckling a bit.

Spot didn't laugh at my situation. I didn't suppose he would: most people wouldn't ever think of my life as funny. I'd gotten over it though. I had to.

"And what about your brother?" Spot questioned.

"My brother left. He blamed our father for everything and thought that his life was in ruins or something. I remember watching him walk away and counting every step he took. He didn't even look back once at me," I said as calmly as I could.

Spot remained silent as he took in what I had just said. Especially since he was thinking of Jack as I told the story. Or should I say Francis.

"What was your brother's name?" Spot asked suddenly.

"Why does that matter?" I shot back, uneasy since I knew where this conversation would head.

Spot and Jack would finally have their proof that I was Jack's sister. And I didn't want to have that conversation yet. Or ever.

"Just answer the question. You said you'd answer everything," Spot replied, an impatient tone creeping back into his voice.

"Fine," I said with a sigh, "His name was Francis,"

"And where is he now?" Spot pressed.

"Didn't we already have a conversation like this? Remember, when you were calling me out about smoking? I said I didn't know where he was and that quite frankly I didn't really care," I replied shortly.

"Speaking of which, you never fully explained yourself with that situation," Spot continued, ignoring my jab at his memory.

"Actually I did fully explain myself. I just didn't explain myself truthfully," I said, smirking.

"So you were talking to someone," Spot said and I could hear the accusation in his voice.

"Yes that's correct," I replied calmly.

"Who was it?" he asked.

I paused and took a long draw on my cigar. Now was the point when all of my acting skills would come into play and I would be putting everything on the line to try and survive.

"Don't you want to know what happened to me after I started living on the streets? I only said I lived in that alley for one and a half years. Don't you want to know what I've done since then?" I asked him instead of answering the question.

"What did you do during that time?" Spot asked slowly.

I turned to face him and, looking him straight in the eye, I said,

"I joined the Black Kings,"


	25. Chapter 25

I swear the entire city stopped moving the second I said that. Everything seemed dead quiet. I couldn't even hear anything from below us and for a second my heart froze at the possibility that the entire Lodging House had just heard my proclamation. I practically breathed a sigh of relief when applause and laughter broke out below, with calls of cheating in there as well.

I knew Jack and Race had heard my declaration though. Somehow I would have to convince them that I was "on their side".

I didn't wait for Spot to respond with something and instead said,

"You suspected it, didn't you?"

Maybe playing to his ego would help a bit.

"Yes I did. You acted a bit strangely sometimes and were always curious about the Black Kings," he replied.

I could practically hear in his voice that he also wanted to say "I thought you were a spy and still do think that".

"Yeah I didn't really know how to act around Newsies," I replied, grinning, "My curiosity about the Black Kings was cause I wanted to know how much everyone else knew so that I wouldn't give myself away by spouting off facts that even you guys didn't know. It wouldn't have looked very good"

"That's why I asked Medda," I continued, "I figured she would be able to tell me and not get suspicious or over protective. You remember when I asked her, right? You sent out one of your little Brooklyn birds to listen in,"

I had wanted to call him out on that for a while and now was the perfect opportunity.

"That's right. I didn't trust you," he replied stiffly.

"And still don't," I finished casually, gazing out across the city.

"Why did you join the Black Kings?" Spot asked abruptly.

"I was almost eight years old and living out on the streets. I had no home, no family, most of the time no food and I lived in constant fear of someone noticing the little girl huddled up against the brick wall. And someone did finally notice. His name was Shade. At the time he was only a year older than me and still deadly. His older brother was Viper and at the time the leader of the Black Kings. I don't know if Shade took pity on me or just noticed how well I avoided the eyes of most people but he came over and started talking to me. I was terrified of him at first but for some reason I agreed to his offer to join the Black Kings. After that I went through intense training to become a Black King. At some point though, when I was about eleven, Viper was overthrown as Kings often are and replaced by Night who, as you know, is still the leader of the Black Kings. Shade of course was also kicked out and told never to return," I explained calmly.

"But he did," Spot said suddenly, throwing me off guard.

"Yes he did," I replied, completely surprised until I remembered that Spot had already had his suspicions about Shade talking to me in the recent meeting with Break.

"That's who you were talking to in the alleyway that one time and who you were scared of," he concluded.

I nodded my head.

"Yeah. He showed up out of nowhere and took me completely by surprise. That guy has just gotten even scarier," I said with a small (fake) shiver.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Spot asked.

I knew I had to be careful about how I answered because Shade would take great pleasure in tearing my explanation to pieces and telling the real truth to the Newsies.

"Well at first I just asked him why he was back. Honestly I didn't really want to know, it's never been any of my business and still isn't. He also wanted to know how I was doing away from the Black Kings. Told me to watch my back because I wasn't safe. As if I didn't know that already. He just takes pleasure in watching me squirm," I grimaced.

"I see. And what happened after Viper and Shade were kicked out?" Spot asked.

"Everything fell back into the old routine basically, except now Night was the leader and Holler was his second-in-command. I ran around in the shadows, carried out jobs, spied on people. You have to understand, the Black Kings were like a life-line to me. They provided shelter, food, security, and a way of life. In return, I did whatever was asked of me.," I replied.

After a small pause Spot spoke again.

"So why did you leave the Black Kings?" he asked.

I considered the question for a moment, knocking the ash off the end of my cigar.

"I was tired of it," I replied simply.

"Tired of it?" Spot replied.

"You don't know what it's like. I lived in the shadows. I rarely went out during the day. They really didn't let us. If I did go out I was in all black with a bandanna around my face. No one knew me. No one saw me. It was if I had ceased to exist. At first I loved that feeling. It was like a newfound freedom. You had no attachments to anything besides that gang. You moved without being noticed. It was almost intoxicating. But as the years went by I lost that sense of freedom. Instead, to me, freedom seemed like being able to walk down the middle of the street in broad daylight with nothing on your face and not caring. It was a dream I practically started having. Then my friend Break (I could practically hear something go off in Conlon's brain at the mention of Break's name) started talking about leaving. He despised the gang far more than I did. He would talk about what life would be like outside of the gang and the way he made it sound…it sounded perfect," I explained

"So what happened?" Spot pressed.

"I left. One day I just gathered up my little belongings and slipped straight out the door," I replied.

"Just like that?" Spot asked, sounding doubtful.

"That's somewhat of the downside of teaching people to disappear. Once it's become second nature, it's not that hard to simply do that one day and never come back to the gang. How can you find someone that's as good at hiding as you are?" I replied, amused.

"Did Break disappear too?" Spot asked.

"Yeah. He was the one who came up with the idea in the first place. He left after me though. I've only seen him once or twice since then. I wish I could see him more but he got a job down at the docks and it takes up a lot of his time," I sighed, pretending to seem disappointed.

"He works down at the docks?" Spot questioned.

"Yeah, that's what he told me. He says he likes the feeling of the sun all the time finally. I'm happy for him. I'm glad he also got over his hate for the gang," I smiled faintly.

"Hate?" Spot asked.

"Yeah. Break absolutely hated the Black Kings before we left. He also started talking about plans to take them down. I told him it wasn't worth it though, especially if we were both leaving. And besides, it seems like you guys are doing a good enough job as it is," I explained.

I knew what Spot was thinking in his head. He thought that I didn't know that Break was still with the Black Kings. Which would be proof for Spot as to why Break had originally said he didn't want the Newsies to tell me that he was still involved with the gang. Spot thought that I thought Break was spending his days down at the docks. That would prove that I was "clueless".

"Has anyone ever come after you to come back to the Black Kings?" Spot asked.

"Of course. Even if I did disappear I still stayed in Manhattan. This is the home territory for the Black Kings," I replied.

"Then why didn't you go somewhere else? Like Harlem or the Bronx? Or even leave New York?" Spot inquired.

"I actually went over to Brooklyn the first few months after I left. Staying in Manhattan then would've been stupid, they probably would've found me after only a few weeks if I was lucky. But eventually I just wandered back over to Manhattan. I guess I'd lived here so long that I couldn't bear the thought of living anywhere else," I replied with a shrug.

"So when did those other guys find you?" Spot pressed.

"Well the first time was happened only a week after I joined. There was someone outside talking to me the night you found me outside with a cigarette," I said.

I could practically hear Spot say "I knew it" in his head.

"It was one of the people who had been assigned to track me down. They tried to get me to come back but I told them no. The reason I lied to you was because explaining that there had been someone there would have inevitably led to me explaining my not-so-great past. And the last thing I want to get out is what my previous employment was. Sorry about that," I explained, glancing at Spot.

Spot didn't say anything so I continued.

"The second time was a few days ago when I came back with that bruise. I hadn't run into the Delancy brothers; I'd actually been surrounded by a group of Black Kings. Funny thing, only one out of the four of them had actually recognized me," I laughed out loud.

"Apparently you guys are doing a damn good job of harassing Night because the Black Kings are desperate to get their numbers back up," I continued to explain, "They were threatening me, telling me I'd better come back "or else". Bullshit. They have absolutely nothing on me, nothing to threaten me with,"

"So what did you tell them?" Spot asked.

"If I had said yes, I wouldn't have this bruise, now would I?" I asked, smiling bitterly, "They didn't take that too well so I tried to get out of there but one of them managed to knock me right across the face before I could cleanly run away"

Spot was silent, seeming to think everything over in his head. I stood there patiently, noting that my cigar was almost gone. We'd been talking here for a while now.

"How'd you decide to join the Newsies?" Spot asked suddenly.

I figured I'd throw in a sob story now to try and get compassion and also to really twist the knife in Jack's growing wound about leaving me to the streets.

"I was just walking around one day, looking for a job and trying to avoid my old employers. It was a beautiful day outside and I was enjoying everything. Good weather will do that to you. And for some reason, I got it in my head that maybe my brother was walking around on these very streets and I just didn't know it. I stopped at a corner where I saw a Newsie yelling out the daily headlines. That Newsie was Race. I immediately remembered how much my brother had loved the Newsies and I harbored some small, misplaced hope that he might be there. For some reason, I started walking over towards Race, intent on asking him about a boy named Francis. There was a group of boys standing not too far from him. I think it was Jack, Blink, and Crutchy. Of course, the Delaney brothers ended up getting in my way and picking a fight so I ended up beating them. That's when Jack and the rest of them came over and Jack offered me work as a Newsie. I was happy. I thought my life was at a new point. I was starting over," I reminisced, trying to seem somewhat wistful.

"You thought you would see your brother?" Spot asked.

I knew in his head he was thinking: well, actually, you did.

"Yeah I did. It's just…" I trailed off.

"Just what?" Spot asked.

"I could never understand why my brother walked out on us. On me. As far as I remember he loved us. I remember this one time when we both took cookies out of the cookie jar in the kitchen and our mom caught us but he gave this whole speech on how we were testing her parenting skills and that she had passed and was a great mother. We both escaped punishment for that and got to keep the cookies," I said, chuckling a bit at the memory of the cookie incident.

Spot even cracked a smile at the story. I knew he was picturing a young Jack Kelly being a smooth-talking con artist.

"I just… I just thought that he cared about me. That he wanted to come back and see how I was doing. To take care of his little sister. I wanted my brother and he wasn't there when I needed him the most," I managed to get out, my voice catching a bit at the end.

Spot didn't reply and I knew that he was torn between telling me and letting Jack tell me himself. Whenever Jack decided to man up and get it over with.

"If we had a battle with the Black Kings, would you join in?" Spot asked abruptly.

I thought about that for a second before replying.

"No, I wouldn't. First, Jack would never let me. And second, I'm done with wars. I've seen too many of them already. I'm just…I'm tired Spot. I've already done too much for other people. Some of it stuff that I'm not proud of. I just want it to stop," I answered.

Spot paused again before speaking.

"And how do you expect me to believe that everything you said was true?" Spot challenged.

"Frankly, I don't give a damn. I don't care if you trust me or not. I didn't join the Newsies to gain anyone's trust. I joined so that I could walk in the sun and earn money without having to do things I didn't want to," I said firmly, throwing the rest of my cigar on the ground.

"Jack deserves to know everything you've told me," Spot stated.

"Yes he does. I'll tell him eventually. For once in my life though I want things to actually be okay for a while," I replied, somewhat harshly.

"Fine. You let him know," Spot replied.

"Are we done here?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah. That's everything," he responded.

I ground what was left of my cigar under my shoe and started walking over to the fire escape. I paused right before I jumped down, though, and looked back at Spot, who was staring at me.

"I'm not proud of that time in my life Spot. But I did what I had to in order to survive. Any street kid would do that," I said.

Spot said nothing and continued to stare at me.

"Also," I started to say, "maybe we can have another one of these story times soon. I want one from you"

"About what?" Spot asked, his eyes narrowing.

"My brother. You know something. I could see it in your eyes every single time I brought it up," I said, and I swear I could hear a muffled gasp from the fire escape.

Spot said nothing in reply so I ended the conversation.

"Good night Conlon. And thanks for listening, even if you did force it," I said, before jumping down on the fire escape.

Some of the girls were already in bed and asleep so I went over to my bed, slipped off my shoes, and crawled under the covers. I didn't know what would be the result of this conversation and honestly I felt sick to my stomach thinking about it.

/

Spot's POV

I stood there long after Actor had gone back inside, thinking over everything she had just told me. She had revealed her entire life story to me. Everything. Some of it I already knew from Jack. But all of that Black King stuff I had no idea about. I knew she was good at lying but everything she had just said seemed extremely truthful. Especially the parts about her brother. She had absolutely no idea that Jack was her brother. I had wanted to tell her so badly but I knew that Jack should be the one to explain it to her. Honestly, I'd love to hear his explanation of why he left her all alone on the streets.

And the stuff about Break too. She didn't even know that he was betraying the Black Kings. He wasn't working at the docks, he was off selling out secrets. Not that I disliked him for that or anything. He could keep telling us about anything he wanted to as long as it was important.

I wanted to help her. I wanted to let her know that her life had just gotten better, that it would continue to get better. I just wanted that sad, depressed look out of her eyes. They had put that look there. The Black Kings. And destroying them would take that look away for good.

I waited until Jack and Race finally climbed up the fire escape and onto the roof. They had been on it the entire time, listening in on the conversation between Actor and I. I was curious to see Jack's reaction since he had been mentioned so many times and rarely in a good way.

"Well… that was something," Race commented.

His wit had failed him after listening to our conversation. I didn't blame him at all though, it had been pretty shocking.

"Yes it was," Jack said, seeming a bit out of it.

"You need to tell her Jack. You heard her, she wants to know about her brother," I said fiercely.

"I know. I will. I just…I can't believe I let that happen to her," he stated.

"Well it did. You can't change that but at least she's in a better place now," I replied firmly.

"You're right. I'll tell her tomorrow," Jack said, seeming confident.

"That'll be good," Race said, patting Jack on the back.

I nodded in reply.

The three of us walked over to the other fire escape and descended to the window that led to the guys' bunkroom. My head was practically spinning from everything I had just learned. All I wanted was a good sleep to clear my head.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N PLEASE READ THIS! I'm so sorry for not updating this story sooner. I would've but apparently my laptop declared war on me without my knowledge. First, it decided to delete the first two pages I had written of this chapter for about two weeks and then magically let them return (idk how this is possible). Then, as I was starting to write again, MY KEYBOARD STOPPED WORKING. At least, some of the keys did. Have you ever tried writing a story without 'T', 'Y', 'Backspace', or your 'Shift' keys? It's absolutely infuriating. Luckily I got my keyboard replaced so here's the next chapter that I've owed you guys!**

I woke up the next morning, fully expecting to be thrown out on the streets or at least tied up to a chair with Jack and the others waiting to interrogate me. I looked around cautiously at the other girls starting to get ready, waiting for any indication that they knew my dark past. However, everyone was up and getting ready with their usual morning vigor. I received a few "Good mornings" as usual but nothing special. Apparently, Spot had actually kept his promise for once.

I ran through the motions the rest of the day, too busy trying to avoid Spot and thinking about the impending meeting with Break tonight to actually realize what I was doing. After selling papes for the day and eating at Tibby's, everyone went their separate ways for the night. Most of the Newsies went back to the Lodging House for the night but a few headed over to Medda's to see if they could sneak in for the show. I spent my night in the Lodging House, waiting for the right time to slip away and go see Break. I couldn't leave too soon; it would have to be under the cover of darkness. I felt extremely restless but tried to contain it as best as possible. However, I noticed Race glancing at me every now and then and I knew that he had noticed my strange behavior.

Finally, I decided that it was time to go. It didn't matter if Break was already at the docks or not; I would wait for him all night if I had to. Glancing around, I checked to see if anyone was paying attention to me. All of the Newsies were absorbed in other things so I quietly stood and slipped out of the room. I took the steps three at a time I was so anxious and almost face-planted at the bottom of the stairs. Luckily I steadied myself and grabbed the door handle, flinging the door open. To my disappointment, I found I would not be having a clean getaway. There, just returning back from doing God-knows-what, was Spot Conlon. We stared each other down for a few seconds before I spoke.

"Get out of my way Conlon," I said calmly.

"Tell me where you're going first," he replied, not moving out of the way.

I paused for a second and glared at him. I was definitely not in the mood to deal with whatever he was trying to pull.

"This house has a back exit you know," I said, starting to turn away.

Conlon grabbed my arm though before I could get away.

"Could you just let me by?" I asked, exasperated.

"I will. As soon as you tell me where you're going," Conlon stated coolly.

"Since when are you my mother? Besides, don't you need to be back in Brooklyn at some point?" I asked.

"I've been going back to Brooklyn. But that's none of your concern," Spot replied.

"And where I'm going is none of your concern as well," I said, frustrated.

"It's plenty of my concern given your history," Spot calmly replied.

I sharply drew in a breath and glared at Spot.

"So that's how it's going to be? I spill my guts and you decide that I'm some criminal that needs to be watched? I joined the Newsies to gain my freedom, not be judged for my past. Remind me never to tell you anything important again," I spat at him.

He didn't say anything in response and I was fed up so I decided to tell him and get it over with.

"Whatever. I'm going to visit Break. Happy?" I said sarcastically.

"Yes," he replied simply, letting me go.

I brushed past him and started walking away from the Lodging House. A thought crossed my mind, however, and I turned around to see Spot staring after me.

"Don't try and follow me Conlon. You'll never even see me," I said coldly, before turning around and jogging off into the night.

Stupid jerk. Where does he get off demanding to know what I'm doing and where I'm going? I tried to push him out of my mind as I sprinted in the direction of the docks, focusing instead on seeing Break again. Oh geez what was I going to do when I saw him again? Confront him immediately? Or let him reveal his secret in his own time.

Too quickly, I arrived at the docks. I slowed down and started to count the docks as I passed them, just as I had done when I saw Night and Holler here. I also kept my eye on the alleys to my left, however, just in case Break had decided to call in his newfound Newsie or Street Shark friends. I reached the 21st dock without a problem. Break hadn't arrived yet so I strode down the dock about halfway and leaned against a pole, constantly checking the area for signs of movement.

I don't know how long I'd stayed there but my eyes eventually turned out over the water, looking at the immense Brooklyn Bridge looming in the distance. I had always loved the sight of it. It almost reminded me of the Black Kings. Sometimes it blended into the background of the city but you still always knew it was out there somewhere.

"Glad to see you could make it,"

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Break walking up the docks towards me.

"Of course I made it. I would never back out on you," I replied sincerely.

Especially since I knew what this talk would be about. The thought made me cringe internally but I didn't let it show.

"Good to know," Break replied, and I knew he was thinking about whether or not I would keep that promise after he told me his "deep, dark secret".

"So how have you been?" I asked, trying to put off the inevitable.

"Pretty good. Just really busy lately," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. I bet Night has you running around with all this Newsie stuff," I remarked and I saw a flash of something akin to guilt flit across Break's face.

"Yeah. All that stuff," he replied vaguely.

"How's it going with all that? Are we making any ground?" I asked casually.

"Ehh. We're trying our best," Break replied with a shrug.

"That doesn't sound reassuring," I snorted.

"It shouldn't be," Break replied, sighing.

"What do you mean by that?" I replied, narrowing my eyes, even though I already knew what he was talking about.

Break looked me straight in the eye and replied seriously.

"We've been losing a lot of ground recently. Both in territories and members. And with the Street Sharks moving in… I don't know how well we can hold on,"

I made a small noise of acknowledgment and looked out over the waters, pretending to be contemplating the information.

"You don't seem very shocked by this," Break said slowly.

"I'd heard rumors here and there," I replied, shrugging, "I talked to Night about it though, he's got some ideas"

"Like what?" Break asked and I could barely hear the eagerness in his voice.

Like hell I was just going to serve up important information to him on a silver platter.

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," I joked, winking at Break.

Break laughed at that but I could also see him tense up a little bit.

"So, anything else new? Like the reason you wanted to see me?" I casually pressed.

"What, a friend can't just drop by and say hi?" Break joked, although I could tell it was a bit strained.

It seems like Break didn't want to tell me his story almost as much as I didn't want to listen to it.

"Aww c'mon that's bull Break. You wouldn't send me a note just to say hello," I argued.

I could see Break steel himself as he prepared his speech.

"I…I wanted to talk to you about something. It's important, I promise," Break said slowly, trying to find the right words to say.

I knew what he wanted to talk about but I didn't know exactly how I wanted to react yet. Sadness? Shock? Anger? Acceptance? There were so many choices and unfortunately I couldn't really predict the outcomes of any of them

"What is it?" I asked, trying to appear somewhat curious.

"It has to do with the Black Kings…and also with the Newsies," Break started to explain.

I tensed up slightly and stared at Break, saying nothing. He took this as his cue to continue.

"For the past couple of months, I've been having doubts about the Black Kings and my place in the gang. I don't like what we do and what we stand for. It sickens me that we just go around beating people up and taking things. We don't have a purpose or anything. And I've seen too many lives ruined. Both in the gang and outside of it. I hate it all. I just can't do this anymore," Break explained heatedly.

I paused for a second before responding.

"So you're going to leave the gang then?" I asked, looking out across the water, already knowing the answer.

"Eventually. But before I do…I want to take down the Black Kings," Break declared.

A heavy silence fell over us but I refused to talk. I wanted Break to say everything he had to first.

"I've started working with the Newsies. I'm giving them information about the Black Kings. And I'm helping out the Street Sharks as well," Break stated clearly.

He paused after his short speech and waited for my reaction. I had been looking out across the waters the entire time, my face frozen somewhere around indifference. I looked down at the dock for a second and let my mask slip off, replacing it with the cold persona I had perfected as a Black King.

"I know that already," I said, looking back up at him.

He looked taken aback for a second, both by my confession and by my sudden change in persona. Funny, you would think he would be used to my acting by now.

"Of course you do. You always were the best at finding out everything," he commented, cracking a weak smile.

I made no reply and continued to stare at him. He nervously continued.

"How long have you known?"

"I've known there was a traitor in the Black Kings for a few weeks now. I also started suspecting you at some point. I confirmed that a few days ago though," I answered simply.

"How did you find out it was me?" Break asked.

"The Newsies aren't half as good at keeping secrets as they think they are," I replied shortly.

"Maybe. But so far they're a hell of a lot better at beating their enemies," Break said curtly.

I clenched my jaw tightly and didn't respond.

"So why haven't you told Night or Holler yet? I would've thought that you would've served my head on a platter, being their loyal henchmen and all," Break sneered at me.

"Honestly? I haven't had the chance to tell them yet," I replied harshly, meeting his gaze.

"Right. Because they aren't getting back from their oh-so-important trip until tomorrow. I read Night's note," Break said bitterly, "So why did you agree to meet me if you already knew what I was going to tell you?"

"I wanted to confirm it definitely. And give you a chance to explain yourself," I replied coolly.

"Well, you got my explanation. I'm sick and tired of the Black Kings. I want them gone," Break shot back.

I hesitated for a second before replying.

"Why couldn't you have just left? Why couldn't you have just gotten up and walked out?" I asked.

Break remained silent for a while after I asked the question, contemplating his response.

"Because I couldn't bear the thought of the Black Kings ruining more lives. And because I also couldn't bear the thought of just leaving you behind," he replied calmly.

I felt my chest tighten when he said that. If Break had actually just straight up left, I don't know if I would've been able to handle being in the Black Kings without him. He was my support system, my rock. But at the same time, he was destroying almost everything I'd ever had.

"I have to tell Night about you. I can't just let you go on destroying the Black Kings from the inside out. If you want to try and take it down, take it down face-to-face," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice even.

"I can't have you do that," Break replied, "I need my inside sources with the Black Kings,"

"Too bad. I have to," I replied, shaking my head.

"If you tell Night, then I'll tell Jack and Spot the truth about you as well," Break threatened.

I froze when he said that. For some reason, I dreaded the thought of them finding out the truth about me

"See? You don't want to tell them. You don't want them to know because you care what they think about you. You want to be one of them," Break pressed.

"That's not it," I snapped back too quickly, "I just can't have you ruin this mission for me. I have an important position and I can't lose it"

"And I have an important position as well. I can't let down the Newsies or the Street Sharks. I need to keep on getting information from Night. The way I see it, this works out. You keep spying on the Newsies and I'll keep spying on the Black Kings. Both sides will get information and we'll see how it works out in the end," Break offered.

"That's not fair at all. You're in the top inner circle of the Black Kings. I've got very little trust from any of the three leaders, especially now," I countered, shaking my head.

"Well, that's your fault for not being a better spy," Break shot back.

"You have a pretty damn good head start on me with this spying stuff," I growled at him.

He'd been in the Black Kings for almost a decade now. I'd only been in the Newsies for about a month or so. Definitely not level playing field.

"Whatever. It doesn't change my mind about what I said. This should be an easy decision for you Eclipse. It's either both of our heads roll or they stay put," Break replied evenly.

"Don't you do this to me Break. Don't you dare do this," I replied, my voice cracking.

Break fell silent and I continued on.

"This isn't easy for me at all. I'm all alone in a group of street kids peddling papes who know absolutely nothing about me while Spot keeps harassing me because he's still suspicious and my own brother can't even work up the nerve to tell me the fact that he is my actual brother. All while the gang that took me in and cared for me is falling apart at the seams thanks to my best friend who's a traitor. I've got no place to turn to or run back to if everything falls through. My entire life is on the line here Break, unlike yours, so don't you even think about ruining everything I've ever worked for," I ranted at him, trying to fight back tears.

Break stayed quiet as I stood there, breathing heavily, blinking rapidly to keep away the water gathering in my eyes. After I had calmed down I slumped back on a post behind me. Suddenly I felt all the energy drain from my body. Running a hand down my face, I sighed and looked back up at Break who was standing there, observing me. It was a little while longer before he finally responded.

"Why do you keep on protecting those guys? Why do you insist on helping them out?" Break asked

"What else do I have Break?" I asked helplessly, throwing my hands in the air.

"You have the Newsies. You have a chance for a new beginning," Break said firmly but softly.

"A new beginning?" I laughed bitterly, "how can I start someplace new when all those Newsies would ever know is a lie? Even Spot and Jack and Race don't know my full story. I would never be fully me there,"

Break was about to speak before I cut him off again.

"Besides, we're all getting too old now to start new with that stuff. I'm sixteen, you're seventeen. Newsies don't get much older than us," I argued.

"That's true," he admitted quietly, "but that doesn't mean you still can't start over"

I didn't reply to his last comment. I didn't know how to. I stood up from the post, turned around and started to walk away slowly. About halfway down the dock I stopped as a thought crossed my mind.

"Break," I called out, not bothering to turn around again.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I'm going to have to tell Night and Holler about you. I have to," I said and I couldn't stop my voice from sounding strained.

"…I know," he finally said

"Sorry," I replied softly, unsure if he even heard me.

I continued walking down the down the docks and slipped away into the darkness. Once I was out on the streets, however, I didn't head in the direction of the Lodging House. Instead, I found myself heading towards the place I'd called home for the past eight years: the Black Kings base.

**Meanwhile, back at the Lodging House**

"Hey Conlon," a voice called out, breaking Spot out of his trance.

Conlon didn't move at all from his spot on the couch but his eyes did come back into focus. He'd been sitting in the commons area of the Lodging House for a while, staring at the fireplace blankly and thinking about Actor. He knew Break wouldn't do anything to harm her but he had still decided to wait up until she got back to the Lodging House safely. Especially with some Black Kings running around trying to get her to go back. It wasn't safe for her out on the streets. He knew that she could take care of herself pretty well but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about her. Spot could've kicked himself for letting her walk by herself to meet Break but she had been pretty mad when she'd left.

"What is it Jacky-boy?" Spot asked calmly.

"Have you seen Actor anywhere? I wanted to tell her about…you know…" Jack trailed off uncertainly, finally stepping into Spot's line of sight.

"She went to visit Break," Spot replied.

"At this hour?" Jack asked.

"You know those guys. They practically live in the dark," Spot said.

"And she went out by herself?" Jack asked, the protective older brother in him starting to kick in.

"Yes," Spot replied shortly.

"Why didn't you go with her Spot? It isn't safe out on the streets at night," Jack said, narrowing his eyes.

"I would've. But she was kind of mad at me when she left. And she clearly said 'Don't even think about trying to follow me. You'll never even see me'," Spot explained calmly.

"Why was she so angry at you?" Jack asked, confused.

"I kind of made her tell me where she was going," Spot responded.

"Spot," Jack started to say before Spot cut him off.

"You would've done the same thing," Spot stated.

Jack stayed silent, a sign of his agreement with the previous statement.

"Well, I guess I'll just talk to her tomorrow then," Jack replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Spot made a noise of agreement.

"Get some sleep Conlon. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Jack said, patting Spot on the shoulder as he walked away.

Spot stayed sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. Jack might not be willing to stay up for his sister but damn it, Conlon was willing to do it. He settled back into the couch, hoping that she wasn't in any kind of trouble.


	27. Chapter 27

I was in kind of a daze as I headed towards the Black King's hideout. I had just sealed my fate: not only would all of the Newsies hate me but my own brother would never be able to tell me the truth. I felt an emptiness inside of me, starting in my stomach and spreading outward. Why though? It wasn't like I really liked any of them. Especially not Conlon with his know it all attitude and constant distrust. And Jack may have been my brother but he was just a coward and a good liar. That's all there was to it.

I concentrated on taking one step at a time to try and combat the sadness inside me. I shouldn't be feeling anything like this. That's what I'd been taught. Feel loyalty, control, determination. Those were all important. But never ever feel confused or sad. Those were the rules. Sadness and confusion meant weakness and the Black Kings were never weak. We always preyed on weakness.

I came to an abrupt halt at a sudden realization. During my conversation with Break, I had told him, "If you want to try and take it down, take it down face-to-face". "It". I had called the Black Kings an "it". Not us. Not anything signaling my ties to the gang. "It". As in, some kind of thing, an object that I had no relation to. Since when had it become so easy to distance myself from the things I had been clinging to for half of my life?

I shook my head and started forward again. There was no time for that kind of thinking. That would get me in trouble or distract me. Neither of which I could afford at the moment.

"Well, well, well, what's this? A little Newsie lost its way in the dark alleys?" came a cold voice behind me.

I stopped walking immediately at the sound of a voice behind me. I swore internally for being so distracted that I didn't even notice anyone sneaking up on me. Although judging by the tone and blatant hatred for Newsies, I was guessing the person was a Black King, which was fine with me.

Quietly, three other people slipped out of the shadows around me to join the fourth that I knew was standing somewhere behind me. One to my right, one to my left, and one straight in front of me. I'd seen this formation many times before and had used it as well. This was to ensure the person couldn't run away. It was like they were trying to cast a net over me.

"What are you doing out so late at night? Don't you have papes to sell tomorrow?" the person in front of me asked.

"Just going out for a midnight stroll," I responded casually, "I feel like I fit in better at night"

"Fit in? What kind of nonsense are you going on about?" a distinctly female voice came from beside me.

I suppressed a grin when I recognized the voice.

"C'mon Bolt, I've only been away for a month now. Did you really already forget me?" I said smoothly, removing my cap and turning to face the shadow to my left.

There was a slight pause before the person stepped forward and I could distinctly make out Bolt's trademark silver cross around her neck. I knew she wasn't particularly religious but she had never bothered to tell me the story about it before. Not like I really cared to ask. She slowly pulled down her black bandanna covering her face, revealing a huge grin that I easily returned.

"Didn't recognize you for a second dressed like some Newsie," she said.

"Can't blame you. I barely recognize myself," I responded casually.

"And you weren't even paying attention to your surroundings. Those Newsies have made you soft," she said, lightly punching me on the shoulder.

"I know," I replied, grimacing, "plus I've got a lot on my mind right now"

"So what's up?" one of the other Black Kings asked.

They had all stepped forward and removed their bandanas and I could now see that they were Crackle, Trip, and Mince. I won't say I was good friends with them, but hey, we knew each other.

"I've got to talk to Night about some stuff," I said seriously.

"Like what?" Trip pressed.

"Night gets to know first. After that, it's up to him whether he lets you guys know or not," I replied, shaking my head.

They all seemed satisfied with that answer so Bolt threw her arm around my shoulder and started leading me away. Crackle, Trip, and Mince all melted back into the shadows to continue their jobs tonight as watchdogs.

We chatted the rest of the way about random stuff, although Bolt was very interested in my life as a Newsie. A little too interested for my comfort but I answered her questions honestly and carefully.

We finally reached the hideout and Bolt took her arm off of me. Couldn't be seen as being too friendly with one another, even if we were in the same gang. My thoughts momentarily shifted over to images of the Newsie boys running down the stairs and Race with his arm slung over me, not giving a damn whether it looked weak or not. They just enjoyed themselves.

Yet again, I shook away my thoughts of the Newsies and concentrated on keeping my face calm and clear of any emotion as Bolt led my down familiar hallways. The hideout was an abandoned hotel in the middle of the slums. It had plenty of rooms which meant we always had space to expand our gang and there was always someplace private to go and talk. We passed by a few people in the hallway and I nodded to those that I recognized. Quietly, we made it up to the fourth floor where Night's "office" was. It originally had been the top floor that we had used but since we started expanding the gang the top floor was currently the sixth. Still, Night hadn't bothered to change the location of his office. That way everyone would always know where to find it and would never get confused.

We finally reached the door and Bolt knocked briskly three times. Soon after, a muffled "Come in" sounded from inside the room so Bolt motioned for me to go in. I took a deep breath, grasped the handle, and pushed the door in.

Night was sitting behind his desk, looking over something that resembled a map. Holler stood right behind him, pointing out things over his shoulder. Both of them looked up when I entered. I closed the door behind me while averting my eyes to give them time to overcome their shock. When I looked back up, both of them were giving me their undivided attention.

"Surprise seeing you here," Night commented.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I would've let you know but this was very last minute," I replied stepping forward into the room.

I stopped a few feet away from Night's desk and waited for him to speak.

"So you have news to tell us?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"Why didn't you wait until a better time to talk to us? Especially coming here of all places. The Newsies must be worried about you," Holler commented.

"This is very important," I replied, managing a weak smile.

"What is it?" Night asked, slightly tensed up now.

I took a deep breath before finally spilling everything.

"Break's a traitor"

/

**Back at the Lodging House**

It was early in the morning now and Spot Conlon was still up. Jack had only gone to sleep maybe two hours ago so Spot had convinced himself that it wasn't really that bad that he was up this late. He sighed and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to sooth the soreness in them. He would pay for this in the morning…

A knock on the door jolted him back to reality. Was that Actor? Quickly, he stood up and walked over to the door, making sure to pause for a second so he didn't seem too eager. In his sleep-deprived state, he forgot that Actor would just walk in instead of knocking. Opening the door, he was extremely surprised to see Break standing on the concrete steps outside.

"Come in," Spot said after a moment's hesitation.

"Thanks," Break replied, following him into the Lodging House. Spot strolled over to the couch and leaned against it casually, facing Break who stood a few feet away.

"I need to talk to you about some things," Break said evenly.

"What is it? More secrets about the Black Kings?" Spot asked, curious as to why he'd come here at this time.

It had to be something very important.

"The first thing has to do with me. Someone leaked to Night that I'm a traitor. My position's blown," Break explained.

"What? How?" Spot asked, furrowing his brow.

"I'll explain that in a second. That's only half of it," Break continued.

"What's the other half then?" Spot asked, trying to contain his fidgeting.

All he wanted to know was where in the hell Actor was. And Break had to have the answers he would need.

"It's about Actor," Break started.

Spot instantly tensed up and narrowed his eyes.

"She's…"

**A/N I know I'm terrible for doing this, but yes, I'm leaving you all with a cliffhanger. Also I know this chapter is kind of short but I really wanted to end it at this point. **


	28. Chapter 28

I sat on a windowsill on the seventh floor of the Black King's headquarters. The window itself had long since been knocked out and the room itself deemed useless since it no longer had a way to keep out the cold. It was useful for me, however, because I was able to sit there and smoke a cigar in complete privacy, staring across the city. The sun was just starting to creep past some of the buildings in the direction I was facing. I could just feel the first tendrils of warmth reaching me and wrapping themselves around me lazily. I knew it was really early to be smoking anything but I didn't care at that point. I'd barely gotten any sleep last night after spilling everything to Night and Holler. They now knew all about Break. They knew who he was connected with, how much he knew, and what he had planned to do. Night had wanted to know why but I'd just shrugged my shoulders and told him that Break never told me. It was a lie but it was one I was content with. For some reason I didn't want Night or Holler to know the reason. Instead, I kept it locked inside of me.

The first rays of sunlight also reminded me of my short-lived Newsie career, now officially over. Break had to have told the others about me by now. They would know I was a traitor and would be responding appropriately: grief, anger, etc. That feeling of emptiness from yesterday was starting to come back slowly. I gripped my cigar tightly between my teeth, willing the hollowness to go away.

It didn't.

"Morning Eclipse. I thought I'd find you here," a voice said next to me.

I glanced to the left and saw Bolt sitting backwards in the windowsill of the room next to me.

"Morning," I replied smoothly.

I was about to warn her to be careful and not fall out of the window when I realized that this wasn't the Newsies. Black Kings looked after themselves; you do something stupid the blame's on you. Warning her would've been a Newsie move.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked curiously.

"Didn't feel like going to sleep," I replied, shrugging.

"Well, hopefully you're awake enough. Night wants to see you," she said.

"I'll be there in a minute," I stated.

She started to slide back into the room when suddenly she turned and looked at me again.

"Night told everyone about what you said. That Break's a traitor," Bolt said, studying me carefully.

"See? You didn't have to wait long to find out," I responded lightly.

"Why did he leave us? Why did he want to help the Newsies so badly?" she asked.

I turned to face her after she said that but instead of finding hurt or sadness on her face, there was something more like suppressed interest. Sighing, I put out my cigar on the windowsill.

"I don't know Bolt. He wouldn't tell me," I replied evenly.

"But why would he tell you all that and not give a reasoning for what he was doing?" she pressed.

I thought carefully about my answer for a few moments before replying.

"He knew that I had found out about him already when we were talking. He was gambling that I wouldn't give up my position in the Newsies and that I would just let him go on spying on us. I think that he thought that a reason wouldn't be necessary because I would just immediately agree to not tell on him. He was wrong," I explained, hoping the answer would satisfy her.

"That makes sense," she said slowly.

We sat in silence for a few moments before I decided that I should go find Night before Bolt asked any more questions.

"I'll see you later," I said, swiftly pulling myself back inside the room.

I crossed it quickly and had just reached the door handle when I heard a faint "Eclipse?" from outside. Apparently Bolt still had one more question for me. Pretending I hadn't heard it, I pulled open the door and hurried away towards Night's room.

When I reached his door, I knocked three times and waited patiently outside.

"Enter," came a voice from inside the room.

I opened the door and saw Night, Holler, Trap, and Steel all gathered around Night's desk, looking at the map I had seen last night. I'd known Trap and Steel for a while now; they were both "army leaders" in the Black Kings I guess you could say. They had fancier words for themselves but I always forgot them.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, walking towards them.

"Yes. We wanted your opinion on the strategy for the upcoming war since you know how the Newsies work and how much that traitor knows," Holler said.

I ignored the fact that Holler hasn't even bothered to use Break's name and nodded in agreement. I stepped forward scanned the map on the table. It was a map of Queens and Manhattan, with the Lodging Houses for both Newsies marked, as well as our headquarters and the supposed territory of the Street Sharks. I could see where their territory had been expanding recently and where ours' had been shrinking. I shook off the anger inside me and focused on the map.

"So what do you think?" Night asked.

I thought for a moment before replying.

"Now isn't the time to be going after the territory they've already established. We need to switch completely to a defensive stance at the moment and protect what we have left," I said.

"But that's a weak move and won't get us anywhere," Trap argued.

"Actually it'll strengthen us and show the Street Sharks that we aren't letting them have any more territory. If we lose any more it'll be very bad for us," I countered.

Night nodded his head in agreement so I continued.

"We need to increase the number of people all around our territory. Protect the borders but also make sure the middle is safe in case people manage to sneak by. And we also need to make sure we know if there are any more traitors running around," I said.

"How do we find out if someone's a traitor or not?" Steel asked.

"Break said the Newsies and Street Sharks have been going around either beating up our spies and members or converting them. We need to keep a careful eye on everyone. If they seem too curious about our plans or are acting strangely, we should check them out," I explained.

"We'll do that," Holler said firmly.

"What about the actual battle parts?" Steel asked.

"You guys should start planning for the big attack right now and any other clashes that might happen. Keep it entirely secret from everyone else for now just in case. In the meantime, we should do something that will strike back at the Newsies and also boost everyone's confidence," I offered.

"Like what?" Night asked curiously.

I thought for a moment and then an idea came to mind that brought a smirk to my face.

"A little while ago five of our members got ambushed and beat up, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," Holler said, frowning at the memory.

"Well, I say it's long overdue for some payback. We need to ambush five Newsies, any five of them, and beat them up too. Then we can leave them in a nice little line outside the Lodging House for the Newsies to find in the morning. And since they took off the bandanas of our members, I say we cover the Newsies faces with bandanas so they know exactly who did it and why," I explained proudly.

Night looked like he could've hugged me right then and there.

"That's perfect," he said, nodding his head.

"And you want to make sure this story gets around to everyone in the gang. Pick good fighters who like to brag. They'll make sure everyone here knows of how good a job they did. And it'll boost everyone's spirits," I finished.

"I've got just the guys for that," Steel said, smiling wickedly.

"Anything else?" Holler said, looking at me expectantly.

"Hmm. Maybe in a few days we can try to cause rifts between the three groups against us. The less united they are, the better off we'll be," I explained.

"How will we do that?" Trap asked.

"I don't know," I replied, shrugging my shoulders, "but I'm sure we'll think of something,"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks Eclipse," Night said, "now go get some sleep, you look like you could use it"

"Anytime," I replied, tipping my hat at them before walking outside and closing the door behind me.

Normally I would've stayed at the door and eavesdropped but I was too tired and just didn't care all that much. Instead, I wandered up to the seventh floor to find and empty room and collapsed on the bed, completely worn out. I quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

/

When I woke up again I glanced sleepily around the room. I definitely felt better, more well rested. I clumsily made my way over to the window and stuck my head outside. I squinted up at the sky and noted the position of the sun. It was maybe five o'clock? The Newsies should be done selling by now unless they had bad headlines today. Stretching, I decided I wanted to go for a short walk. Just to stretch my legs and get outside. I would make sure to not go anywhere where the Newsies would dare to venture.

I quickly took the stairs all the way down to the first floor and down a few hallways to get outside. Luckily I didn't run into anyone which was nice. That meant no questions, no hastily given explanations.

Stepping out into the sun, I enjoyed the warmth on my face for a second before walking forward. The streets weren't really crowded, given that this was one of the nastier parts of town. This place only came alive at night. I wandered around, slipping through a few alleys and just strolling down some streets. After a while, though, I realized that I was heading in the direction of the busier part of Manhattan and quickly changed my course. The last think I needed was to run into a Newsie that I knew.

Suddenly, someone from behind me caught hold of my arm. I instinctively spun around, fist raised and ready to do some damage. I was surprised when my fist was blocked by someone's hand. Focusing on the person now holding me, I realized with a start that it was Break.

"Break?" I asked stupidly.

What was he doing out on the streets at this time? And relatively close to Black Kings headquarters too. It was like he had a death wish or something.

"Hey Actor," he replied, smiling.

It took my mind a second to realize he had referred to me by my former Newsie name and not my Black Kings name. What was going on?

"You should've waited for me to walk you back," he said, a bit louder than normal.

I tried to keep the shock off my face and figure out what he was doing.

"Sorry. I just wanted to get back," I replied carefully.

"I didn't tell them you're a spy," Break whispered and I stared at him in disbelief.

"Actor!"

I peered around Break and saw Spot, Jack, and Race all heading over towards us. I tensed up, ready to run in case Break was lying. His grip on me, however, meant I wasn't going to go anywhere if that was the case.

"There you are," Jack said, smiling, as he approached us.

Break let go of me and stepped back slightly. I considered running for a split second before I was swept up in a hug by Jack.

My mind was still trying to grasp everything as I tentatively hugged Jack back.

"We were worried about you. Don't ever pull something like that again," Jack said, although his voice was more worried than angry.

He drew back and examined me head to toe to make sure I was alright. I forced a smile on my face despite my confusion still.

"Sorry Jack. I didn't mean to make you guys worried," I said.

"I told Jack it was mostly my fault. I shouldn't have asked to see you so late at night. That was a stupid move," Break said, faking an apologetic look.

"It's fine. I was just glad to hear that Actor could stay at your place last night instead of having to walk home in the dark," Jack said, nodding gratefully at Break.

"Any way I can help," Break replied and I could see that the double meaning of that was not lost on the other Newsies.

"Well it's too late for you to sell now but you can always make up for it tomorrow. Let's go back," Jack said, motioning for me to follow.

I nodded my head and started walking away with them. Jack and Race took the front while Spot was in the middle and Break and I were in the back. I shot Break a questioning look but he shook his head.

"I'll tell you later," he whispered to me, "basically they just think you didn't want to walk home last night after our talk and stayed over at my place. I told them that this morning"

I nodded my head, still not fully understanding. Why hadn't Break told them I was a spy? What possibly could he gain from doing that? If he thought that I would "owe him one" now, he was dead wrong.

"Also, I thought you should know, Spot practically stayed up half the night waiting for you to get back safely," Break whispered.

I felt a sudden rush of gratitude when he said that. Nodding my head, I picked up my pace until I was even with Spot. He glanced over at me and I could see small bags under his eyes but he didn't say anything.

"So…" I started to say awkwardly, "sorry about causing such trouble"

"It's fine. It's not a big deal," he replied shortly.

"I still shouldn't have done it," I said firmly.

He didn't reply so I continued talking.

"Also…Break told me you waited up for me to get back last night. Thank you for that," I said hesitantly.

"Jack would've had a fit if you came back hurt. It didn't mean anything," Spot replied gruffly.

"It does to me. Jack didn't wait up. You did. Thanks for caring Spot," I said, lightly laying my hand on his arm before picking up my pace and walking away.

I was surprisingly content to be walking back to the Lodging House. I knew that when I got back I would be surrounded by happy faces that were enjoying life despite its bumps. Pushing back the knowledge that I had just condemned five random Newsies, I allowed a small smile on my face as I hurried forward.

/

Spot watched as Actor walked away, fighting to keep a smile off of his face. His arm tingled from where she had just touched him. It had meant something to her. What he had done had meant something. He felt a bit lighter walking down the street now and had almost forgotten that Break was still behind him until the guy caught up to him. If Spot had turned to look at Break, he would've noticed the somewhat sour look on Break's face after witnessing the previous interaction. Spot waited for Break to speak but when he didn't he just ignored it and kept on walking.

Break was thinking of how to start the conversation without giving himself away. "So, Actor seemed pretty grateful right there". "Glad to see you two are being nicer to each other". No, none of that would work. He'd seen the smile on Actor's face and the slight pause in Conlon's walk when she'd touched him.

'_I didn't protect her so that she would fall for you_' Break thought bitterly.

He considered telling Spot all about her for a second. Tell him that she was still in a gang, that she had lied to him. Eclipse had never lied to Break. Then he would never think twice about looking at her again, except with contempt. But he held himself back. Telling Spot meant hurting Eclipse and that was something Break would never let happen.

The two walked in complete silence the rest of the way back but each of them were thinking about the same girl.


	29. Chapter 29

Later that night I found myself on top of the roof of the Lodging House, sitting on the edge of the roof with my legs dangling over the edge. I had positioned myself so that I had a view of the nice, uptown part of the city with my back to the fire escape that led to the roof. I had a slim cigar dangling between my lips that Race had picked off of some guy downtown.

I looked out over the city. It almost looked like it was going to sleep forever, the way the lights all went out one by one across the city. Like everyone wasn't going to wake up tomorrow morning and continue on with another day. Sometimes I wished the city would stay asleep forever: peaceful and quiet.

The noise of footsteps on the fire escape broke me out of my trance but I didn't turn around to see who it was. I didn't need to. I waited and listened to the sound of someone hoisting themselves onto the roof and then slowly walking over here. I blew a ring of smoke out of my mouth before speaking.

"Break," I said simply.

"I thought I'd find you out here. Even back with the Black Kings you never liked being cooped up in the building. You were always on the roof or hanging out of some window," Break chuckled.

I knew he was talking in past tense just in case someone was listening in on the conversation but it still felt weird. I didn't reply to him and instead waited until he walked over and sat down next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance over at me.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smoke more than once before in all the years I've known you," he commented.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Picked it up more recently. Blame Race," I stated.

Break laughed at that and we fell into a comfortable silence. Normally I would've waited for Break to speak but I had been dying to know the answers to all my questions.

"So…why'd you do it?" I asked casually.

"Do what?" Break shot back and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

'_Jackass._' I thought.

"Why didn't you tell the Newsies about me?" I asked, lowering my voice in case someone overheard the conversation.

Break sat silently for a few moments, looking thoughtful.

"I'll admit I wanted to tell them just to get back at you for spilling my secret to the Black Kings. Which, I'm assuming you already did," he said, glancing at me.

I nodded my head in affirmation and waited for him to continue.

"But I also didn't want to see you get hurt. As much as you deny it, you like being around these boys and you don't want them to know about your betrayal. They're finally starting to trust and accept you, which is something neither of us really found in the Black Kings," Break explained.

I wanted to contradict him, to tell him that I didn't like being around the Newsies and that I was accepted by the Black Kings, but something deep inside me told me that he was right. I did like the Newsies and the Black Kings were never really a family as much as just something for me to cling to.

"That may be true," I said quietly, surprising myself when the words slipped out, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let go of the Black Kings just yet"

"So you will let go of them?" Break asked with the tiniest hint of hope in his voice.

"…I have to eventually. I can't stay in a gang forever," I replied carefully.

"I see. And how soon will that be?" Break questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders in response. Honestly I had no idea. Maybe it would be a few more weeks or even a few more years. It all came down to how this war turned out.

I could sense that Break wasn't entirely pleased with my response but it didn't matter. He had to accept the fact that I wouldn't just let go of everything I had so easily, even if he claimed that the Newsies would be a good "safety net" to keep me from falling. I had a feeling that if things didn't go over well for the Black Kings, I wouldn't be staying in New York much longer. There were too many loose ends and such that I didn't want to run into ever again. I wanted to get far, far away instead.

"Is there anything else you wanted to know?" Break asked.

I thought about his question for a second.

"What will you do now that you aren't a part of the Black Kings?" I asked.

"Jack offered me the option of staying here now. Even Spot said Brooklyn would be open to me. I think I'll stay somewhere else though, someplace where I can hide out. The first place the Black Kings would think to look for me would be with the Newsies. Can't give them the satisfaction of finding me too soon," Break explained, smirking.

I nodded my head in understanding. Although I liked being close to Break again, it would be easier for me to concentrate and focus on continuing my charade if I didn't have to also deal with him on top of it. Because knowing him, he would probably get in one of those moods where he wants to mess around and see if he could get me in trouble.

"Do you have anything else you want to talk about?" Break asked, breaking me out of my train of thought.

I thought back on my conversation with Night, about how five Newsies were going to get beat up and how Night and the others were starting to plan for clashes with the Newsies. A part of me wanted to warn him but another part of me said that it was all out of my hands now. I just had to step back and see how the dice fell now.

"Nope. That's it," I replied, shaking my head.

My cigar was almost out so I snuffed it out on top of the roof and flicked what was left into the alley below. I stood up and slowly stretched out, taking in the view of the dark city once more. Break stayed seated on the edge of the roof but I didn't say anything to him. I wanted to stay sitting next to him like we used to on the roof of the Black Kings hideout but I didn't trust myself to keep quiet about the attack plans. Something about Break always drew the truth out of me, sooner or later.

I turned around and started walking across the roof towards the fire escape. I had made it halfway across when Break's voice cut across the darkness.

"What did Night say about me being a traitor?" he asked.

"He had some choice words to describe you. Other than that, not much," I answered truthfully, remembering how Night had cussed out Break when he'd heard the news.

Break chuckled but didn't venture to say anything else. I took his silence as the end of the conversation and continued across the rooftop. Jumping down on the fire escape, I quickly ducked into the now-dark girls' room. I quickly slid out of my shoes and tossed my hat down next to them. Crawling into the bed, I let exhaustion overrun me and succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

/

"Get up ladies!"

Kloppman's voice resonated around the room and gently shook sleep off of me. I slowly raised my head off the pillow and looked around the room with blurry eyes. There was some movement around the room as the other girls started to drag themselves out of bed. I raised myself into a sitting position and somehow managed to get my feet in my shoes. Scooping my hat off the floor, I made my way down the hallway to the washroom. Some of the boys were starting to stumble in so I quickly grabbed an empty sink and started getting ready. While I was combing through my hair, I glanced quickly around the washroom. I didn't see Break anywhere, although that made sense: he would've left sometime last night under the cover of darkness to his new hideout.

Suppressing a sigh, I walked out of the bathroom, a bit disappointed that Break wasn't there. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that I had managed to beat the rush of boys who had just woken up. Taking the stairs two at a time, I quickly reached the bottom and glanced around. Jack and Spot were the only ones downstairs. They stood close to each other and looked like they were discussing something. Both of them glanced over at me when they heard me come down.

"Hi Actor," Jack said.

Spot nodded a greeting at me which caught me completely by surprise. Apparently he had decided sometime yesterday that I was finally worthy of being acknowledged.

"Hi Jack. Spot," I said in greeting.

"You're up early," Jack commented.

"I thought I'd start walking to the distribution center. I feel like going by myself today," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, we'll see you down there then," Jack said.

"Yeah," I answered, smiling.

I turned towards the door and walked over to it. I opened it up and stopped short at the sight that greeted me: five boys laid out neatly in a line on the ground in front of the Lodging House. They were all obviously Newsies based on their clothing but I couldn't immediately tell who they were because all five of them had black bandannas covering their faces. The sign of the Black Kings. All five of them looked pretty beat up as well.

I really shouldn't have been all that shocked; after all, it had been my idea in the first place to beat up five Newsies and leave them like this. There was something about actually seeing them laid out on the ground unconscious, though, that made my stomach turn.

"Jack? Spot?" I called out, trying to make my voice as unsteady as possible.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

I didn't reply to that though and instead walked slowly down the steps, surveying the boys. I recognized the gold pocket watch hanging out of one of the vests of the boy on the very right. Race. My body felt tense as I walked over to him. Behind me I heard gasps and words of disbelief. I ignored them, however, and kneeled down on the ground next to Race. Carefully, I lifted Race's head up onto my lap and started to untie the bandanna from his face. The knot was fairly tight so it took me a little bit but I managed to carefully undo the knot and slide it off Race's face. I pursed my lips together at the sight. Both his eyes had swelling although it looked like the left one had taken more of a beating. Race's left cheek was also bruised, a nasty deep purple that I'd seen on myself too many times to count. His lip was also busted open and there was a deep scratch running along his hairline. If this was just his face then I didn't want to know how badly injured the rest of him was.

I blinked away the tears that spontaneously started to fill my eyes. I didn't need to get emotional over this. After all, I had known this was going to happen. And these boys deserved it. They attacked my friends first. This was just payback.

I looked up for the first time and saw that a good number of the boys had made it outside, drawn by the shouts of anger and disbelief. Some of them were huddled around the other boys, trying to figure out a way to get the unconscious boys inside. Others were standing in small circles, heatedly debating about what they should do about this. Jack was in one of the circles, talking animatedly. I could only imagine what he was saying, rallying the Newsies together to fight back against this attack.

What finally caught my eye, however, was Spot. He was standing up on one of the stairs, surveying the area. He looked like a general or something in the army, standing above his troops. When my tear-filled eyes met his, I felt a shockwave resonate through me at the intense anger that radiated from him. Horrified, I wondered what kind of hell I had just brought down upon the Black Kings.


	30. Chapter 30

Ten minutes later, the other boys had managed to get the five injured inside and lying down on beds. None of them had woken up yet though which worried me. Since it was getting close to opening time for the distribution center most of the boys had reluctantly made their way out the door. Only a handful remained, including Jack, Spot, and I. Jack was standing a few feet away from the bed where Race lay unconscious, deep in thought. Spot was leaning against the opposite bedpost and had yet to really say anything. I was standing a few feet behind Jack, anxiously rocking back on forth on my feet. I wanted to say something but I didn't want to break the tension in the room. It felt so awkward right now but I couldn't bring myself to end it.

Finally, Jack seemed to snap out of his thoughts and straightened up. Glancing once more around the room, he abruptly turned around and headed towards the door.

"Let's go," he said shortly.

It took me a few seconds to recover from surprise before I hurried after him. He was only a few steps away from the doorway when I made it out into the hallway and I immediately called out to him.

"I'm going to stay here," I burst out.

Jack stopped mid-stride and slowly turned to face me.

"You're going to do what?" he asked incredulously.

"Someone should be here for them when they wake up," I argued, my voice slightly strained.

Jack looked like he was about to argue and then thought better about it.

"Alright. You stay here and look after the boys," he said, nodding his head.

"Thanks Cowboy," I replied, smiling faintly.

"Give me twenty-five cents," Jack said suddenly.

"What?" I asked, thrown off.

"Give me twenty-five cents. I'll sell your papes for you today," Jack explained, holding his hand out.

"Jack, you don't have to do that," I protested.

"Hey, you take care of us and we'll take care of you," Jack grinned.

I grinned back at him and fished a quarter out of my pocket, laying it in his open palm.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

"No problem. I'll see you later Actor," Jack replied before turning around and walking out of the door.

I turned slightly and walked back into the room, almost running straight into Spot who had finally moved from his position next to the bed. The intensity of the glare he aimed at me almost made me wince. Suspicion was radiating off of him and I could see it written all over his face that he blamed this incident on me. I was about to say something when he walked straight past me and out the door. I stood there for a second in shock before coming to my senses. I had to convince him of my innocence or else all of the progress I had ever made with him would be gone in a second. Turning abruptly, I quickly walked into the hallway and saw Spot almost at the other end of it already.

"Spot," I called out weakly.

He stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs, his hand already resting on the banister.

"Yes?" he replied without turning around to face me.

I could practically see the ice dripping off his voice. It was time for me to play the innocent girl and further alienate myself from the Black Kings, at least in the minds of the Newsies.

"I…I didn't know about this at all. I never would've thought that they would pull something like this," I said slowly.

Spot slowly pivoted to face me and I made myself look as helpless as possible. I needed him to believe that I had nothing to do with the attack and that I still wasn't a threat to the Newsies. His eyes seemed to soften slightly when he saw my face but his tone didn't when he spoke again.

"How can I trust you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I would never, ever let them do that to those boys. Race has done nothing but be kind to me since I got here and Caps is only eleven. Eleven. I would never let those guys hurt them like that," I protested frantically.

This seemed to please him and he slowly walked over to me. He stopped a few feet away and stared straight at me. I fought to keep my helpless mask on and hold up the charade. The silence seemed to stretch on and on before he finally opened his mouth.

"I believe you," Spot said.

I was instantly relieved and let it show on my face. I tensed up slightly, however, when Spot spoke again.

"However," he said slowly, "I want to ask you one more time. If we had a battle with the Black Kings, would you join in the fight?"

I silently considered his question for a few moments. I knew my answer already but I figured I would humor Spot and make it seem like I was actually considering his question.

"No," I replied finally, "I stick to my earlier decision. I'm tired of fighting. And even though this happened to Race and the others and I hate it, you guys don't need me out there. You can handle it yourselves,"

Spot said nothing at first before nodding and turning around. He slowly walked away and went down the hallway before turning and descending the stairs. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I hadn't been sure if Spot was going to let me get away with avoiding conflict after what had just happened but he seemed to have taken it fairly well.

Realizing that I was just standing in the middle of the hallway, I quickly walked back into the room where the boys were all lying on beds. To my surprise, I saw Race awake and trying to sit up but the grimace on his face told me he was in pain.

"Race," I said, rushing over to his side, "you shouldn't push yourself, you just woke up"

"Actor? What are you doing here?" Race asked, looking at me in surprise.

"I volunteered to stay back so that someone would be here when you guys woke up," I answered, gently helping Race into a sitting position.

"You didn't have to do that," Race said, although there was a small smile on his face.

"I wanted to. Besides, someone needs to fix you guys up and it sure as hell wasn't going to be any of the others," I replied, grinning at him.

I was about to turn away to go grab the small medical kit we had when Race suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist.

"You're a good girl Actor. I'm glad you're here now," he said gently.

I looked at him in surprise before my face melted into a smile.

"Thanks Race. I'm glad I'm here too," I replied.

I turned around and walked over to the closet where the medical kit was. I was glad Race couldn't see my face now because my masks where all starting to slip out of place. I had felt the sincerity in my words resonate deep inside of me: I was glad to be here. I did like this place and the people in it. But also deep inside of me was my Black Kings mask fighting to stay alive. This was all tearing me apart.

I decided then and there that after the war was finished I would leave and go far away. Maybe Santa Fe. I had read a pamphlet that Jack kept with him all the time and it seemed like a nice place. And as often as Jack dreamed aloud about moving there, I don't think he had it in him to leave the Newsies and New York. They were the family that for once he couldn't turn his back on.

Picking up the medical kit, I turned back to Race with a smile plastered on my face.

"Let's get you all fixed up," I said, walking over and sitting down on the edge of his bed.

I opened up the medical box and pulled out what was in it: a few gauze pads, some tape, a pair of scissors, and a washcloth.

I quickly walked over to the washroom and got the washcloth wet in one of the sinks. I also grabbed a towel from the washroom before walking out and heading over to Race's bed again. I sat down on the edge of the bed with the towel in my lap and the wet washcloth on top of the towel. Surveying the damage on Race's face, I picked up the washcloth and started to dab the dried blood away from the scratch near his hairline. It wasn't as deep as I had originally thought which was good. Once I was done, I dried off the area and taped a piece of gauze over it. I carefully cleaned off his lip as well, which was busted open.

"Hold on one second," I said.

Grabbing the towel, I quickly ran downstairs to the "kitchen". There was a small ice box in the corner and whenever Kloppman got a chance he occasionally filled it with extra ice from his home. God bless that man for everything he does for these boys. If only there were more people like him in the world.

Pulling open the top, I cracked a grin when I saw that it still had plenty of ice in it. I picked up a couple of pieces and wrapped them up in the towel. Running back upstairs, I went back into the bunkroom and handed the towel to Race.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's a towel filled with ice. The cold will bring down the swelling in your eyes, cheek, and lip," I explained, pointing at each injury.

"How did you know that?" Race asked curiously.

"When you live on the streets for as long as I did and you get the occasional bruise, you figure out pretty fast the best ways to make the pain go away," I answered lightly.

Race regarded me silently but I avoided his gaze, instead directing the conversation elsewhere.

"Take off your shirt," I stated.

That snapped him out of his thoughts immediately. He looked at me in shock.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Take off your shirt. We need to check how much damage was done to your chest and back," I explained.

"Oh. Okay," Race said, a faint blush dusting his cheeks as he slowly undid the buttons on his shirt and slid it off.

He didn't have any scratches on his chest or back which was good but he did have some bruising around the ribs and lower back. Luckily, none of his ribs were broken either.

"Alright. Looks like you're going to be fine," I announced, putting the supplies back into the kit.

"Thanks doctor," Race joked.

"You're welcome," I replied, grinning at him.

Honestly I was relieved that he was okay. After all, what would I do without his daily dose of sarcasm and wit?

I went around tending to the other boys carefully. Most of them just had cuts and bruises but it felt like Slim might have a broken rib. I'd have to keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't get worse. Even though I was trying to distract myself, I couldn't get the image out of my head of Spot standing on the steps of the Lodging House, looking down on the Newsies, his eyes full of hatred. It made me want to hide under something and only come out when I was sure he was a good ten miles away. But it also made me worry about the rest of my gang. We had definitely drawn Brooklyn into the fight which could mean that we had just taken on one enemy too many.

**A/N So not a lot of action in this chapter, it was more of a transition chapter. But there will definitely be more in the next couple as the war starts to heat up. **


	31. Chapter 31

War was upon us. Any idiot could've figured that out just by looking around the Lodging House. People were more on edge recently, which was definitely a difference from the easygoing atmosphere that was always present in Manhattan. It seemed like conversations were always in low voices now and laughing just sounded strange echoing in the emptiness. Everyone sold papes either in pairs or in groups of three. Jack had made it clear that no one was to ever sell by themselves under any circumstances. I knew that larger groups wouldn't deter the Black Kings at all but I didn't bother sharing that information with Jack. The Black Kings seemed to be the underdogs here and needed all the help they could get.

Spot had actually disappeared for a few days which in my opinion was never a good thing. I wish I could've followed him but I was starting to get overwhelmed just trying to keep up with all the plans Jack was making. He kept on meeting with the Street Sharks and Queens Newsies at random, secret spots. There was no way to keep tabs on all of it and even worse, there wasn't really any way for me to get information back to Night. I had to sell with other people now, usually Race and Mush, so there was no way for me to sneak off somewhere. And there was an unofficial curfew at the Lodging House now so I couldn't even sneak off with the excuse of seeing Break: Jack would never allow it, at least not without an "escort".

Currently I was sitting in the commons area of the Lodging House, massaging my temples in an effort to make my headache go away. Everyone else was upstairs, playing poker or discussing the upcoming war. Jack of course was off at yet another meeting while I was stuck here with nothing to do. I was starting to get annoyed because even though I was in the middle of all the action I felt completely useless. I mean, what's the point of having a spy among your enemies if they can't even tell you what they find out, let alone find anything out in the first place.

A loud crash came from upstairs and I gritted my teeth. Loud noises were not doing anything for me at the moment. I was blessed with a few more seconds of peace before the Lodging House door swung open with a bang. I immediately spun around in my seat on the couch intent on chewing out whoever had been stupid enough to open the door like that when I realized who was standing there.

Jack was at the front of a pack of boys. Next to him stood Spot and I could make out Spot's second-in-command, Spark, somewhere in the back. Next to Spot was Glare, who was still on my "To Kill" list, and his right-hand man Match. I guess Queens had finally decided to make an appearance in Manhattan now that the war had started. What completely took me by surprise, however, was that Striker was standing also standing next to Jack, with his second-in-command Trap hovering just behind him. The Street Sharks. Striker. I hadn't seen him since my birthday party a few weeks ago. It seemed so long ago, though, considering how much had happened since.

I walked around the couch so that I was standing in front of the group of boys all standing around the entrance.

"What are you doing down here Actor?" Jack asked.

A loud crash sounded again from upstairs and I glanced up in the direction it had come from.

"Avoiding that," I responded, nodding my head towards the ceiling.

"What's going on up there?" Jack asked, frowning.

"I have no idea. I just know that I want to stay out of it," I replied with a shrug.

"Glad to see you so involved," Glare commented.

I barely withheld a glare and instead raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ahh Glare. Always a pleasure to see you," I said smoothly.

"I'm sure it is. Still as polite and delicate as you were at your birthday?" Glare replied cockily.

"I don't recall ever being "delicate". Polite maybe, but not delicate," I countered.

"You sure about that sweetheart?" Glare snickered.

"Want to find out?" I challenged, my eyes giving off a dangerous glint.

Glare looked taken aback for a second and Jack used the pause to step in between us.

"Alright guys that's enough," he said with a tone that said our exchange was over and done with.

I let my face relax back into amusement and leaned up against the back of the couch behind me. I wanted to laugh because Glare still looked a bit unsettled but I held it all in and instead turned my attention to the other boys. Match shot me a smile which I returned. Striker also nodded in my direction which I returned along with a small grin.

"I'm going to go see what that was all about. Spot, can you and Spark come up as well?" Jack said, turning to walk up the stairs.

Spot and Spark hesitated for a second but then followed in his footsteps up the stairs. I was left alone with Queens and the Street Sharks. Yay.

An awkward silence fell over the room as we all stood there, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Striker broke the silence first.

"How has it been in Manhattan? You know, since the war started," Striker asked.

"Quiet. And tense," I responded honestly.

Striker nodded in response.

"I heard some of the Newsies here got jumped by some Black Kings," Match piped up.

I stiffened up slightly at the mention of the latest attack.

"Yeah. Five of our guys got beaten until they were unconscious. Then the Black Kings laid them outside in a neat row with black bandannas covering their faces. Nice little personal touch of theirs," I explained, letting a hint of bitterness into my voice.

The others all nodded but didn't say anything. I could tell, though, that they were angry from the fire that sprung up in their eyes. My guess was that Jack had already told them what had happened. It was obvious that their rage about the attack hadn't subsided at all though.

"Anything else recently?" Glare asked.

"Not really. It's been pretty quiet otherwise," I responded, shaking my head.

"That's good to hear at least. It's never good when a gang starts to target people at random. Things get messy very fast," Striker said affirmatively.

I nodded my head in agreement but said nothing. I'd seen enough wars before to know that this one was going to escalate very quickly and that things were going to get way more than just "messy". Still, it wasn't exactly my place to tell Striker that.

"We should head upstairs now," Glare said, already turning and starting to head up the stairs.

Match offered me a smile and a wave goodbye before jogging after his leader. Trap also trailed behind them but Striker lingered behind for a moment.

"How are you holding up?" Striker asked, trying to be casual.

"I'm fine. I'm not as delicate as Glare tries to make me out to be," I joked.

"I know you're not. But I also know that wars aren't easy on anyone," Striker replied seriously.

"I know that," I replied quietly.

"How'd you know that?" Striker asked me, looking slightly confused.

"Jack has been drilling that into my head for the past week now," I smiled slightly, lying through me teeth.

"Glad to see Jack's taking care of you," Striker responded, chuckling.

"Yep. He's a good leader," I stated, nodding my head.

"Yes he is," Striker agreed.

Striker looked like he wanted to say something else at that moment but decided against it.

"I'll see you later," he said, before turning and heading up the stairs like the others.

"See you," I replied without any real emotion.

I was lost in my thoughts about the war and what it would end up meaning for all of us but especially for me. It is times like these that I wish all that fortune-telling mumbo-jumbo stuff was true: then I could just look in a crystal ball and see what the future would be like. Funny thing about the future though, it keeps sneaking up on you and becoming the present before you even realize it or can prepare for it.

/

The next day it was hot. And I don't mean just heat beating down on you. I mean boiling heat with humidity that pressed down on you. The city just seemed sticky everywhere you walked, the kind of stickiness that seemed to seep into your every pore and weigh you down. I was in a bad mood that was just getting worse as more sweat beaded on my neck. And to make matters worse I was stuck with not only Mush and Race today but also Jack and Spot. Now I had an overprotective brother and a pain in my ass tagging along now. I could practically feel a headache starting to form in the back of my head.

Sighing, I picked up one of the few papers I had left and held it up in the air.

"Mysterious fire in the Bronx! Cause unknown, five known dead!" I yelled out.

That was all bull of course. The police knew that someone had accidentally dropped a lighter and started the fire. And the five dead were all unfortunate cats in the building. But I really didn't give a damn about honesty at this point. It was too hot to be wasting extra time outside selling newspapers.

Luckily that headline sold the last of my six papers. I kept on walking with the other boys as they all finished up their selling as well, fully aware that Jack would never let me leave the group just cause I didn't have any papes left.

We kept on walking up Tenth Avenue, trying to catch people who were hurrying back to the cool insides of their homes. Way up ahead I saw three Manhattan Newsies selling near the corner, in the nice shade with their backs to an alley. I couldn't tell who they were from this distance but one of them looked pretty short. Maybe Les?

Suddenly I saw further up the street five figures moving unnaturally smoothly and heading straight towards the Newsies on the corner. I almost called out to warn them but I managed to hold it in. What was I thinking, trying to stop an attack by the Black Kings?

Instead, I tried to find a way to distract the others so that the attack would go smoothly.

"What's this store?" I asked, diverting everyone's attention away from what was happening behind their backs.

It was an honest question actually. The store I had picked was very new to the city, only about a week old. I'd only passed it once and hadn't gotten a good glimpse so I was curious as to what was in it. It looked like a lot of random stuff to me. And it all looked old. Who was going to buy from this store?

"Dunno," Mush said, scanning the inside.

"Antique," Race said, sounding out the word on the door, "what in the hell does antique mean?"

"Who knows?" Jack said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Looks like a bunch of old junk to me," Spot said, although he was also looking at all of the stuff.

I saw in the reflection of the glass the five Black Kings swiftly and silently descend on the Manhattan Newsies, dragging them into the alley behind them, making it seem like they just disappeared. I knew that I was doing the right thing for the gang but I could still feel a knot in my stomach at the thought of those boys being beat up. I kept thinking in the back of my head that I could hear their cries of pain, even though from this distance I knew that I wouldn't be able to.

'_You may be a Black King. But you are also a terrible human being,'_ I repeated over and over again in my head.

Finally, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a figure in all black slip out of the alleyway and run away down the street. That meant that the attack was over. It also meant that four Black Kings were waiting in the alleyway for us to come find the beat-up Newsies.

I counted to ten seconds before narrowing my eyes at the reflection of the glass and the turning around to look at the alley, pretending that I'd seen something just then.

"What is it?" Jack asked, following my gaze towards the alley.

"I thought I saw something…" I said uncertainly.

I hesitantly started walking towards the alley, the rest of the boys trailing behind me. Jack fell in step with me and had his arm just slightly out towards me in a protective gesture. I appreciated the thought but he would have to do better if those Black Kings were still in the alley.

We all cautiously stepped towards the alley on high alert. Jack and I were the first to the mouth of the alley and we both peered into the shadows within. I immediately saw three figures face down in the dirt and not moving. Without thinking, I raced ahead of Jack and knelt down next to one of the figures. I immediately recognized it to be Bridge. The boy was only twelve for heaven's sake. He looked like he had some bad bruises forming on his face and knuckles. I secretly hoped that he'd been knocked out fairly quickly and hadn't had to suffer for very long.

I heard Jack swear as he finally made it next to me. I also heard curses from the mouth of the alley as Race, Mush, and Spot finally caught up with us. I was in the middle of checking to see how much damage had been done to little Bridge when out of the corner of my eye I caught some movement in the shadows of the alley. Immediately, I tensed up and crouched into a defensive position. Four figures slid out of the darker shadows at the end of the alley.

"Hey there Jacky-boy," the one in front said and I could see the smirk even through his bandanna.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jack growled, taking a step towards the figure.

"What do you mean? Can't we walk anywhere we want to around our streets?" the guy asked mockingly, holding out his arms.

"They aren't going to be your streets for much longer," Jack stated firmly.

"You must be in dreamland if you think these streets are going to those so-called Street Fish," snarled one of the other Black Kings boys.

"That's Street Sharks," Race corrected, none too kindly.

"Whatever," the Black King snorted.

"Did you really already forget who you're fighting against? No wonder your gang is failing," Spot challenged.

"You stay out of this Conlon," a Black King growled, "don't you have another borough to waste your time in?"

"I still take care of Brooklyn. But I figured I'd help out Manhattan with a little infestation problem they have," Spot responded smoothly.

"Aww, I'm honored you're paying attention to us," the Black King said sarcastically.

"You guys are going to pay for this," Jack interrupted coldly.

At first, none of the Black Kings responded. Instead, they all slowly turned around and headed back into the shadows. One of the Black Kings paused before he reached the deeper shadows and turned slightly to look over his shoulder at Jack. I could see the deep hatred burning in his eyes and it made me shiver slightly.

"Bring it Newsie," he spat out, like the word Newsie was something disgusting.

With that, he turned forward again and melted into the back of the alley with the other Black Kings. I tilted my head and glanced up at Jack, who was seething and looked like he would hit something very soon.

"We need to call another meeting with Queens and the Sharks," Jack said tightly, struggling to keep his temper in check.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked between Jack and the others. Race and Mush had the same kind of anger evident on their faces while Spot had more of a quiet fury. Still, it frightened me to see these easy-going boys pushed to their limits over something as stupid as territory and bragging rights. I was beginning to think that maybe this war would be worse than I had originally thought.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N This is definitely one of my longer chapters and I have to say I'm extremely proud of it. Hope you all enjoy it!**

Later that night I lay wide awake in bed, staring at the bottom of the bed above me. The wood was covered with scratches from previous girls and boys, either initials or stupid scribbles. It usually put me to sleep to recite the different initials but my mind was going on high speed as I traced the lines in the wood. I had information that Night needed to know and I had to get it to him somehow. I resolved to write a note and try delivering it myself tomorrow, sometime after selling. I was fairly certain that I would be able to sneak past the other Newsies. Hell, I might even be able to make it back before the noticed I was gone. Satisfied with my plan, I finally rolled over and allowed myself to drift off into sleep.

/

The next day couldn't go by fast enough. After I got up I quickly wrote out a note explaining everything to Night and stuffed it into my pocket before heading out. I spent the morning and afternoon selling with Mush and Race as usual before heading over to Tibby's for a quick and cheap dinner. After that we headed back to the Lodging House. I milled around with the others, playing a few poker games and trying to hide my anxiety. Finally, I decided that it was now or never. I slipped out of the room and ran down to the girl's bunkroom. It was completely deserted so I practically sprinted over to the open window and jumped through it. I took the fire escape stairs as fast as I could while still being relatively quiet. Running over to the back of the Lodging House, I quickly glance around the street. There was no one in sight that I knew so I sprinted across to an alley and ran down it to the next street. Taking a left at the street, I continued running until I was satisfied I was far enough away from "Newsie" territory. Slowing down, I took in my surroundings, keeping a close eye out for a sign of Black Kings.

The number of people continuously dwindled until I was walking along a skinny, deserted street in the sketchier part of Manhattan. Suddenly, I felt a prickling on the back of my neck that meant someone was either following or watching me. Glancing around, however, I saw that there weren't any Newsies around

'_Black Kings'_ I immediately thought.

"Hey Eclipse," a voice called out.

I stiffened at the sound of my name but forced myself to not turn around. I wasn't Eclipse at the moment after all; I was Actor. I couldn't react to my Black King name while pretending to be a Newsie. Suddenly, three figures practically materialized in front of me, dressed head to toe in black. They simultaneously pulled down their bandannas and a small smile crossed my features as I realized who it was: Slick, Squirm, and Hammer. They were all good guys just a little bit older than me. Slick had had a crush on me for one month before switching over to crushing on another girl. Not that I minded. I had bigger things to focus on than boys chasing after me. However, despite the fact that I was happy to see them, it was dangerous for me to be out in the open with them.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, looking around anxiously.

The last thing I needed right now was for someone to see me talking to Black Kings.

"Just checking up on you," Slick replied casually, "Actually Night sent us out here to scout out some stuff"

"Scouting? What are you scouting out in our territory?" I questioned.

"Just looking for some good fishing spots. Heard there's a bit of a shark problem around here," Slick winked at me.

I realized what he was talking about and smirked. They were out looking for spots that the Street Sharks liked to hang out at. And if they ran into anyone, well…let's just say a lot more than words were going to get thrown around.

"Well, good luck with that. I'd gladly join in but I've got my own problems to take care of," I replied.

"Yeah. I feel bad for you, you have to deal with those Newsies and you don't even get to beat them up," Hammer chuckled.

"I wish I could. Who knows, I could always play it off as an accident," I said grinning.

"Good idea," Squirm confirmed.

"Since you guys are here, would you mind giving this note to Night? It has some stuff for him," I said, pulling the note out of my pocket and holding it out to them.

"Yeah we'll get it to him," Slick replied, reaching out and taking the note from me.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem. Least we can do to help you out," Slick said, sticking the note in his pocket.

I nodded in response. I opened my mouth to tell them that I had to get going before anyone saw us but I was cutoff.

"I thought you creeps only came out at night,"

Slick and the others turned around to face the speaker and I peered around Slick. Standing about thirty feet away and slowly approaching was Striker. He had four other guys with him, all of them big and hulking. I recognized Brick standing to the left and Trap on Striker's immediate right but I had no idea who the other two were.

"Hmm, so the fishy smell wasn't just my imagination. How's it rolling Striker?" Slick said casually.

"Can't complain too much. I haven't had to see you guys in a while," Striker replied.

"Just cause you can't see us doesn't mean that we're not there. We thought we'd be nice and remind you whose territory this is," Slick said, a dangerous tone creeping into his voice.

"We don't need a reminder. But I think some of your own guys do. They seem to have forgotten that Night even exists," Striker retorted.

I couldn't see Slick's face but judging from Striker's smirk Slick was definitely pissed off.

Striker suddenly noticed me standing behind Slick and looked slightly shocked.

"Actor, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trying to get past these guys," I said, nodding at the Black Kings.

Slick looked back at me and smirked.

"So she's one of your Striker? I was wondering why this little fish looked out of place," Slick declared.

I practically breathed a sigh of relief that Slick was playing along and wasn't going to joke around with this.

"No, she's not a Shark. She's a Newsie," Striker replied.

I watched as Slick's face grew angry and pretended to seem nervous, even taking a step slightly backwards.

"Even better," he growled.

"A Newsie, huh? Got any headlines to sell us sweetheart?" Squirm said, openly checking me out.

I glared at him but made sure it wasn't too intense.

"I'm sure she'll sell something other than newspapers," Hammer joked, also checking me out.

I pretended to look annoyed and revolted but on the inside I was impressed. These guys were really doing a great job of going along with the whole act and pretending that I wasn't also a Black King. Although I'm sure their real goal was to get Striker as angry as possible. Judging by the murderous look on Striker's face, it was working.

"Sorry but she's not for sale," a voice from the alley just to my left called out.

Turning my head, I saw Race emerge from the alley on my left. Following him were Jack, Mush, Blink, Spot, Ice, and a couple of Brooklyn boys I didn't know. What in the hell were they all doing here? The thought flashed through my head that they had followed me all the way here but I brushed it aside quickly. There was no way I would've missed a group of that size trailing behind me.

"Jacky-boy! And Spotty! What a treat. What are you boys doing this far from the presses?" Slick asked, looking amused.

"None of your business Slick," Jack said before turning towards me, "Actor get over here now"

I obeyed and quickly walked over to Jack. He didn't look at me and instead pushed me over to Race, who grabbed my wrist and held on tightly. I was in trouble…

"Get out of here Slick. You're outnumbered," Jack stated.

"Are you sure about that Jacky-boy? There are shadows everywhere. You never know who's hiding in them," Slick challenged.

I knew he was bluffing but Jack obviously wasn't sure because he hesitated in responding. Spot, however, stepped forward and spoke.

"It doesn't matter where you guys are hiding. You cowards can stay in the shadows all you want. This little party's over," Spot said in a commanding voice.

Squirm was about to retort but Slick held up a hand to silence him. Slick regarded Spot carefully for a moment before speaking again.

"You better watch yourself Conlon. Just cause Brooklyn's across a bridge doesn't mean that it's safe," he said in a dangerously calm tone.

Looking at Jack, he continued.

"You should take better care of your Newsies Jack. Make sure they don't go wandering off in places where they don't belong"

Slick ended by flicking his eyes to look at me. I met his gaze for a second before sneaking a glance at Jack. He was standing rigidly with his hands clenched. What was he so mad about? Surely Slick's comment couldn't have angered him that much.

Finally, Slick turned around and started walking away. Squirm and Hammer followed silently, although Squirm threw a glare back at the Sharks. Right before Slick reached the alley he looked over his shoulder back at Striker.

"We'll be seeing you real soon little fishies. Don't swim away before the fun starts," he called out.

Then the three of them disappeared into the shadows of the alley. Everyone remained silent for a moment after they left, staring at the dark entrance of the alley. Striker was the first one to move, walking quickly over to Jack and Spot with his four boys following him. And boy did he look ticked off.

This movement broke Jack out of his trance and he angrily turned to look at me.

"What the hell are you doing here Actor?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," I stated calmly, avoiding his glare.

"Yes it is. You're my Newsie Actor. I need to know where you're going," Jack shot back.

"What're you, my mother?" I said, a bit annoyed.

"No but I'm your-" Jack started to say but he caught himself.

I knew he was going to say brother so I picked up where he left off.

"You're my leader Jack. That's it. Which means that although I respect you, there's a limit to what you can tell me to do," I snapped back at him.

"Maybe so, but I deserve an explanation for why you're here Actor. This is dangerous territory and you know it," he snarled at me.

"It's none of your business! And besides, I was fine," I argued.

"No you weren't. Those three Black King guys had stopped you. They could've attacked you or something," Jack returned.

"They weren't going to! They didn't even know I was a Newsie till you guys came along," I protested.

"But they could've found out! It's extremely dangerous in these areas, especially now," Jack snapped.

I was about to respond when Spot cut in.

"Actor, you need to tell us now why you were here," he said.

There was something in his tone that made me hesitate and hold in my retort. He sounded like Night did sometimes when he was extremely angry with someone. Like he was suppressing all of his anger and if you made one tiny misstep all of it would blow up in your face.

"It's not important," I replied cautiously.

"Actor. Now," Spot commanded.

I tried to think up an excuse quickly but his tone had thrown me off and was making me nervous.

"I…I mean," I managed to get out before Ice broke in.

"Guys we shouldn't talk about this out in the open and especially not here. Let's go back to the Lodging House first," she said, stepping in between Spot and Jack and I.

I wanted to hug Ice so badly right then for saving me. The look on Spot's face was cold and hard but Jack said,

"Fine"

Striker moved towards me as if to say something but Ice grabbed my arm and pulled me away quickly. I gladly followed her as we quickly walked out of the alley and back in the direction of the Newsies Lodging House. How I was going to get out of this one, I had absolutely no idea. But I had a twenty-eight minute walk to try and figure it out.

/

Hammer, Slick, and Squirm slid silently but quickly through the back alleys towards the Black Kings Headquarters. They moved in synch, jumping over trash cans and dodging random puddles of who-knows-what in back alleys. None of them spoke but they all knew the route back by heart so speaking was unnecessary and a waste of breath.

They all paused for a second in a deserted area behind some buildings and slid down their bandannas. They were all panting slightly from the long trek back but tried to hide it.

"I have to split off here. I promised Bolt I'd help her with patrolling the west side," Hammer spoke up.

Squirm and Slick nodded in response and watched as Hammer jogged off in the direction of the west border.

"I also have to go help out Steel with some of the plans," Squirm said.

"Alright. I'll go give Eclipse's letter to Night," Slick responded.

Squirm was already walking away and disappeared just as Slick finished his sentence.

Instead of immediately heading over to the headquarters, however, Slick leaned back against the brick wall of one of the buildings and slowly drew Eclipse's note out of his pocket. He stared at it, absentmindedly twirling it between his fingers. The encounter he'd just had now…he was surprised how well he'd been able to keep his cool. Especially after seeing Jack again. That brought up memories he'd rather not think about.

His grip on the note tightened as scenes of that night seven years ago flashed through his head.

_He had gone out to sell papes that day with Jack, his new friend in the Newsies. They were both only ten years old and were adventurous to the point that it got them in trouble. They had gone wandering around again, clutching the last of their papes in their ink-stained hands. The sun had started to sink in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground. Suddenly, he and Jack found themselves in the more dangerous part of Manhattan, a place they'd never been in before. Slick had wanted to turn back but Jack kept pushing on. _

_They kept on wandering past old decrepit buildings. Slick had the distinct feeling of eyes watching him but he could never see where they were coming from. All of the sudden, Jack and him found themselves surrounded by huge figures covered head to toe in all black with their faces covered. Slick tried to figure out where they'd come from; it seemed like they had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. _

"_Where's your leader? Little boys shouldn't be wandering around in places where they don't belong," one of the masked figures said. _

_Even more quickly than they had appeared and before the two boys had a chance to respond, the masked people descended on the two of them. Slick went down immediately under a flurry of blows but he lifted his head up just in time to see Jack slip free and go sprinting away down an alley, two Black Kings in pursuit of him. Slick curled back into a ball as blows rained down on him. It had seemed like forever before they finally stopped hitting him. He vaguely remembered lifting his head up just enough to see a Black King crouched in front of him._

"_This one's a fighter," the guy commented._

_Slick hadn't said anything in response; his mouth hurt too much. Instead, he laid his head back down on the ground. He barely heard the sound of footsteps coming back and managed to make out what the people above him were saying._

"_Little guy got away. He's fast," one of them said._

'_Jack got away okay,' Slick had thought._

_Relief had washed over him. That meant the other Newsies would be back here soon. They would come save him, make all the pain go away. He was barely aware of the fact that the Black King was crouching next to him again._

"_Tell you what Newsie. I like you. I think you might just be able to make it as a Black King. So I'll make you a deal. If your Newsie buddies come back and get you, you can go with them without any problems. If not, you can try dragging yourself down this alley right here. If you keep going straight, you'll hit our headquarters. Come find us. If you can't do that either then you can just die out here alone," the guy explained, before standing up again. _

_Slick heard their footsteps echoing away, leaving him curled on the ground, alone and in pain. He was sure that the Newsies would come get him though. They wouldn't leave him alone, especially hurt like this. All he had to do was wait for them._

_And wait he did. He waited and watched as the sun slowly sank deeper and deeper until it disappeared behind the buildings of the city. Even after it was gone, he waited until there were only a few rays of light stretching across the sky. He looked at them as they suddenly turned blurry and he realized that he was crying. The Newsies hadn't come after him. They had left him at the mercy of the streets and the Black Kings. They didn't care about him. There was more pain now, this time in his chest. He remembered somehow managing to sit up and then shakily get to his feet. Step by step, he had walked closer and closer in the direction the Black King had pointed out. His feet felt ten times heavier than ever and his entire body screamed at him to sit down and rest. He had pushed on though, driven by the need to find something new to cling to. The Black Kings would be his new life. He would prove himself and find a newer, better family. _

_Just before he had reached the mouth of the alley he wiped all traces of tears off his face and tried to straighten up as much as possible before stepping forward. _

_He had found himself facing what looked like an old hotel. There was a group of four guys sitting on barrels outside it, playing poker. They looked up when he came into sight and Slick immediately noticed the older boy who had given him the chance to prove himself. Slick cleared his throat and looked the guy directly in the eye._

"_I want to join," Slick managed to say clearly despite his heart going crazy in his chest. _

_The boy from before grinned at him before getting up and walking over to him._

"_Welcome to the Black Kings," he said. _

Slick came back to the present and looked down at his hands. He had clenched them into fists, effectively crushing Eclipse's note. After he had joined the Black Kings he had seen Jack a few times, mostly from afar. Only once had they come face-to-face and it had been tension-filled to say the least. Jack had tried to explain that he'd tried to go back but Roll (the leader of Manhattan at the time) had forbid it, claiming that it was almost night which was when the Black Kings were the most dangerous. Slick didn't know whether to believe him or not. All he knew was that the betrayal still felt like a fresh wound sometimes.

Slick also thought back to the offer Break had made him that day earlier.

"_If you help me out with bringing down the Black Kings, you can join the Newsies again. You can have back the life you lost because of the Black Kings," Break offered. _

Slick still was unsure of how Break had found out about his past, let alone the fact that Slick did still harbor some secret desires to rejoin the Newsies.

"Maybe…" he murmured quietly.

Standing up from the wall, he stuffed the note back in his pocket. He would think all of that over later. Right now he was still a Black King and he would damn well protect that title that he'd earned so long ago through blood, sweat, and tears.


	33. Chapter 33

The walk back to the Lodging House had been quiet and uneventful. I had said a quick "thanks" to Ice but only got a short nod in response. After that we'd walked side by side in complete silence the rest of the way back. The boys behind us had also stayed quiet for the most part. Occasionally I had heard them muttering between themselves but I hadn't been able to make anything out. However, I had been able to feel about a dozen angry stares on my back. I had started to become convinced that if I looked down at my chest there would be a giant hole where their stares had burned straight through.

Currently, however, I was seated in the middle of a deserted girl's bunkroom with an angry Jack, Spot, and Striker. The others had wanted to come in as well but the three leaders insisted that this needed to be down with as few people as possible. Of course, the others were probably just standing outside with their ears pressed to the door.

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair, waiting for one of them to speak. The silence was pressing in all around me like the heat outside. Spot was leaning against the wall next to the door while Striker was sitting on one of the vanity tables and Jack stood staring at the wall behind me. Striker was occasionally glancing over at me while Spot was straight up staring me down; Jack just kept on staring at the wall.

Finally, Jack broke the heavy silence in the room.

"What were you doing Actor?" Jack asked, still not looking at me.

I hesitated for a moment before replying. I briefly considered the idea of continuing to avoid answering Jack's questions but I knew that I couldn't avoid them forever. Besides, it would just be easier to let him know the truth. Well, maybe the "truth" was more of a lie. But still.

"I was going to go visit a friend," I said, running a hand through my hair.

"A friend?" Spot asked.

"Yeah. I don't see him as much anymore but I thought I'd check up on him given everything that was happening recently," I explained.

"What do you mean?" Stiker asked, clearly confused.

I shot Spot a look that I hope he interpreted as "Keep your mouth shut or else" and continued on.

"I think I told you once that I used to live on the streets," I said carefully.

"Yes you did," Jack confirmed, nodding his head.

"Well, there's a small part I didn't tell you about that. I used to live in the sketchy part of Manhattan, out past Oak Street," I explained.

"Yeah. That's near Skid Row," Jack said.

"Yep," I nodded, "And since I was always in that area I made a lot of friends over there as well,"

"What's your point?" Striker asked.

"What I mean is I know people from the Black Kings. I'm kind of still friends with one or two. And I've met Night before," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady.

Jack and Striker stared at me in barely concealed shock. Spot kept a completely straight face, of course, since he already knew my entire back story with the Black Kings. I couldn't help but think that Jack was faking his shock though; after all, he had listened in on my entire confession to Spot. All of this was starting to get kind of confusing: I knew that Jack knew about some of my past and therefore he knew I was lying right now but he thought that I didn't know that he knew.

"That's who I was going to meet. One of my friends from the Black Kings," I finished.

There was complete and utter silence all around the room as they all absorbed this information. Finally, Jack spoke up again.

"Why were you visiting him?" he asked.

"I told you. With everything that's been going on I wanted to make sure that he was okay," I repeated firmly.

"How'd you get in touch with him?" Striker asked.

"Note," I replied simply.

"But Race or Mush would've noticed you handing off a note," Jack said, his brow furrowed.

"Not necessarily," I replied calmly, a ghost of a smile on my face.

Striker was looking at me with something in between suspicion and surprise. Spot still had his poker face up and Jack looked a bit cross.

"So you're telling me you have connections to the Black Kings and that you've also met with Night before, the leader of the Black Kings?" Jack asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Yes," I stated simply.

No one said anything as everyone let the information soak in. Well, really it was just news to Striker. But I'm sure it was somewhat news to Spot and Jack that I still kept in touch with people from the gang since I "left it".

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Striker said suddenly.

I looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, we can use your connections with the Black Kings to help us out. We can have you spy on the Black Kings and then tell us what you find out," Striker explained.

At first there was the usual silence in the room. I was so shocked, however, that I suddenly said,

"What in the hell?" I let slip out of my mouth.

"It's a good idea," Striker said calmly.

"For who? You? Cause you're the one who won't be risking their head with this plan?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm risking a hell of a lot on this war already so don't start with that," Striker shot back.

I bit back a retort when he said that. It was true, he was risking a lot on this. If he lost this war, it could mean he could also lose his life. At the very least he would be permanently banished from New York.

"I agree with Striker," Spot said suddenly.

The three of us looked at him in complete surprise but he just stared back with his usual cool look.

"This is an important opportunity. We could get an inside ear on the Black Kings again and know what was going on," Spot explained.

I narrowed my eyes when he said "again" because I knew he was referring to Break being a spy for the Newsies but I didn't make a comment on it. It would only take this conversation places where I really didn't want it to go.

Honestly I didn't really have any other choice at the moment. If I refused to help them that would just make them all suspicious. Plus, being a "spy" for the Newsies would give me an excuse to freely see people in the Black Kings again and I would have direct access to Night without arousing suspicion.

I sighed and braced myself for what I knew I had to do.

"I just want to warn you right now that this is a dangerous game to play. It's not smart to cross any Black King, especially not Night," I warned.

Jack looked like he wanted to change his mind about the idea but Spot jumped in right then.

"We want you to do this for us. It'll give us a big advantage. The question is whether or not you'll agree to do this," Spot said evenly.

I looked around the room at Jack, Spot, and Striker. Despite Jack's hesitation, I could see in his eyes that he wanted this advantage as well. Anything that would make the war end faster. I sighed and looked down at my feet for a second to compose myself. When I looked back up at the boys, I made sure there wasn't a single shred of emotion on my face to hint at the turmoil that was going on inside of me.

"Alright. I'll do it," I said firmly.

Who knows what kind of hell I had just thrown myself into with this decision.

I looked around and saw Jack and Striker nodding in approval. All of the sudden, all I wanted to do was get out of the room.

"If that's everything then I'll be going now," I said, standing up.

"That's all for right now," Spot said, hinting that my troubles were far from over.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked quickly.

I wanted to roll my eyes at his overprotectiveness but I understood how concerned he'd been when he thought those Black Kings were going to attack me.

"Over to the guy's bunkroom. Race promised me another cigar," I responded smoothly.

"You really shouldn't smoke those you know," Jack said, making a face.

I just shrugged my shoulders and offered him a small smile before strolling out of the room, closing the door behind me. I wanted to linger there for a second but I knew they'd be listening for my footsteps so I forced myself to continue walking down the hallway towards the sounds of the rowdy boys in the bunkroom. What I really wanted right now was to forget about what I'd just agreed to. And for once these Newsie boys might just be the perfect escape, even for just a few hours.

/

The three boys sat there, staring at the door long after Actor had left. Finally, Spot spoke up about something that had been bothering him since the run-in with the three Black Kings.

"Jack," he said, catching the other boy's attention, "How did you know the name of that one Black King? The guy named Slick?"

Jack tensed up at the name of Slick and glanced over warily at Spot.

"Long story," Jack replied shortly.

"I've got all day long," Spot shot back, not backing down.

"It's not important. It's from a long time ago," Jack argued.

"I think that Actor just proved to us that every little thing from the past can turn out to be important," Spot stated bluntly.

Jack wanted to say something back but he couldn't come up with a valid argument against that. Finding no way out of this, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Slick used to be a Newsie and a friend of mine about seven years ago. One day him and I went wandering off into the bad part of Manhattan and got jumped by a group of Black Kings. I managed to slip away and went running off to get the leader, Roll. I told him everything and tried to get him to go after Slick but he refused. Said that going in Black King's territory in the dark was suicide. We didn't go looking for him until the next morning when the sun rose up. By that time the place where I'd left him was empty. Roll was convinced they had taken him prisoner which meant that we would be hearing from them soon. Days past, however, and there wasn't a single word so Roll was convinced that they'd just killed him instead. I didn't believe him though. I kept on looking anyway. The next time I saw him was five years later. He was dressed in all black and a fighting machine. It was my fault that that happened. When he said "make sure your Newsies don't go wandering off where they don't belong", he was warning me not to let the same thing happen to Actor that I let happen to him," Jack explained, trying to keep the regret out of his voice.

Spot and Striker could see the pain lingering in his eyes, though, and didn't press the subject.

"I see," Spot said simply.

Jack was a bit annoyed that his long speech had only merited two words but at the same time was relieved that they didn't press him for more questions.

"Maybe we can have Actor check out Slick when she goes to visit her friend. I don't know why, but that guy seemed like he didn't exactly fit in. He definitely seemed more like…well, a Newsie," Striker commented.

Jack nodded slowly, lost in his own thoughts.

"I agree," Spot said, although he was racking his brains trying to think about their encounter with Slick and the others.

Had Slick really seemed that different from the other two? Spot had noticed that he seemed a bit more calm and collected than the others but he had just assumed that that was because Slick was the one in charge between the three of them. To tell the truth, Conlon had been a little distracted. He had been so worried about Actor and what he would do if the Black Kings dared to lay a hand on her that he hadn't had his usual focus in the situation. Honestly, that girl ran him in circles sometimes. Spot was determined to protect her though. He would feel responsible if this war got out of hand and she got hurt.

/

Back at the Black Kings headquarters, Slick stood calmly in front of Night, who was sitting at his desk quickly reading over the note Eclipse had written for him. Holler was off to the side, leaning against the wall, taking in everything but not saying anything.

Finally, Night finished reading the note and glanced up at Slick.

"Thanks Slick. You can go now," he said shortly.

Slick nodded in response and quickly slipped out of the room, closing the door silently behind him. Night held the note tightly between his steepled fingers, thinking hard. Holler continued to observe him, still not daring to say anything.

Finally, Night broke his long silence.

"I need to go see Eclipse," Night said, throwing her note down on the desk.

"Why?" Holler questioned, immediately moving away from the wall and hovering around the desk.

"She hasn't been getting a lot of information lately. I want to find out what's going on," Night replied, grabbing his bandanna off of the desk before striding across the room.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Holler asked as Night opened up the door.

"By paying her a little visit," Night said as he tied his bandanna around his face.


	34. Chapter 34

I nervously adjusted my hat for about the fiftieth time and glanced around at the others. Everyone had looks of steely determination gracing their features, with the exception of Race's cool poker face. I glanced down once more at my hand. It was my first good hand of the night: a full house, three fives and two queens. I had only won one other hand so far so I was determined to win this one.

I glanced up and saw Mush raise the three cents. Internally swearing, I watched as Blink, David, and Race threw in their money before tossing in mine as well. Finally, it was time to lay down our cards. Mush had three tens which Blink then topped with three Jacks, causing Mush to swear loudly. David laid down his pathetic hand of queen high and we all had a good laugh about how he had absolutely no idea how to play poker properly, causing him to blush bright red. Race was able to beat all of the other hands with a flush. He was grinning triumphantly as I groaned and pretended to be disappointed. I lay my cards down on the table and waited for everyone to register what the outcome was. There was an uproar when they all saw my full house. Grinning, I reached out and pulled the small pile of coins across the table to me. Race said something in Italian that was probably a curse or two and ran a hand through his hair.

"Your luck doesn't seem to hold up when you play me," I commented, grinning at him.

"You're right. The last time we faced each other in poker you won also," Race replied, shaking his head in mock sorrow.

"Oh come on," I nudged him playfully, "Someone needed to end your winning streak. And I don't see Conlon anywhere so I had to step up and get the job done"

Race just laughed at that and started collecting everyone's cards again. I threw mine into the pile with the others and carefully pocketed my new winnings.

"Care for another round of poker?" Race asked me, grinning mischievously, "Let's see if that luck of yours will hold out again"

I laughed and shook my head at his comment.

"Thanks but I'm done for the night. It's getting late," I said.

"No fun," Race mumbled through his cigar.

I was about to throw back a retort but I noticed that he was already fully absorbed in the new poker game. Instead, I settled for rolling my eyes and walking away from the table. The room was finally starting to get less crowded as the boys all turned in for the night. Glancing around, I saw that none of the other girls were still up.

I didn't want to go to sleep yet but I also didn't want to stay in here and play yet another game of poker, or worse, watch the others play. There was only so much I could handle. Quietly, I made my way over to the open window and eased myself through it, going out onto the fire escape. The temperature had dropped drastically from its scorching heat earlier today and the cool air was a welcome relief. I quickly hoisted myself onto the roof and glanced around. There was no one in plain sight on the roof, although the stack of crates on the other side of the roof obscured part of my vision. I didn't really care whether or not someone else was up here though: as long as it was quiet I was happy.

I walked to the middle of the roof and lay down on the concrete. The surface was dirty and uncomfortable to lie on but I ignored the slight discomfort. Instead, I concentrated on the dark night sky above me. There were dozens of twinkling stars above my head of varying sizes and brightness. Someone had once told me that those were stars like the sun, burning way out in the universe, millions and millions of miles away. I wasn't sure if I believed that though; it was just so hard to imagine. They're probably only a couple thousand miles away. Nothing could be millions of miles away.

Still, it filled me with a sense of peace to see the sky. Despite all the craziness and chaos that was happening right now, I always knew that I could look up in the sky and see stars everywhere, blinking up above at a steady pace. I sighed, wishing I had that same kind of consistency in my life right now.

I don't know how long I'd been lying there on the roof when I suddenly heard footsteps from the other end of the roof. At first, I didn't move. I just assumed it was one of the Newsies and I wasn't really in a hurry to find out which one it was. When I lazily lifted my head up to look at the new person, however, I was surprised to see a figure that almost blended in with the night sky. Although there was a black bandanna covering the figure's face, I knew almost immediately who it was. After all, I'd spent nearly a decade trailing after him obediently.

"Night?" I asked, completely surprised.

"The one and only," he replied quietly, pulling down his bandanna.

"What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously, sitting up fully.

"I got your note. I had a couple of questions for you about it," he said simply.

"Alright," I said, finally standing upright, "what did you want to know?"

"Why was there so little information on this?" Night asked, holding up my note to him between his fingers.

I grimaced slightly, feeling slightly embarrassed at being reminded of my complete failure at being a spy.

"It's been a lot harder for me to get information out to you now as well as even find stuff out. I have to sell with Race and Mush now so I can't slip away while I'm selling. And Jack holds all kinds of secret meetings but I'm not allowed to attend them. And even if I wanted to sneak in I couldn't because everyone's paying extra attention to who comes and goes in the house. It's practically impossible to slip away unnoticed," I explained flatly.

"You managed to do it yesterday," Night stated, a hint of challenge in his voice.

I shook my head.

"I only managed to get away for less than thirty minutes. On my way to find you I ended up running into Slick and some others. I was able to give Slick the note to pass on to you but then some Newsies and Street Sharks just appeared out of nowhere," I complained.

"Yeah, Slick said it looked like you got in serious trouble," Night replied, smiling just a little bit.

"Jack and the others were not happy with me at all. I told them some made-up story about how I was 'checking in' on a friend from my so-called 'previous years' with the Black Kings. Of course, I also had to let it slip that I was also still friends with a few other Black Kings and that I knew you as well," I replied, grinning back at him.

"And how they'd respond to that," Night asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's kind of funny actually. They basically forced me to spy on the Black Kings for them," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

Night stared at me for a second before breaking out in a wide grin and chuckling a bit.

"So the original spy would just be spying back on the people who sent it? That's too good," he commented.

"I thought so too," I said smiling.

"This would actually be a good thing for us. You'd be able to freely talk to me and the others and we could feed you bad information about what our plans were," Night said, his grin growing wider.

"Yeah, I thought so too. And Jack would believe me no matter what," I replied confidently.

"I'm counting on it," Night nodded, "Anything else you wanted to let me know?"

"Spot went back to Brooklyn for a few days to do who-knows-what. And like I said in the note, all of the Newsies are on high alert and looking for some revenge. We all need to be careful," I said.

"Got it. That all?" Night asked.

"Yep," I confirmed.

"Good. I need to go now but I should be seeing you soon. Tomorrow night we're having a party down at that one bar over on the south side. I expect to see you there, maybe with a Newsie escort. Find Holler or someone else higher up first. They'll lead you over to me eventually and we can talk in private," Night explained.

"Sounds good," I replied, nodding my head in understanding.

"Good. I'll see you then," Night said, pulling up his bandanna and turning around swiftly.

I watched quietly as he gracefully strode over to the other side of the roof and disappeared behind the stack of crates. I vaguely wondered how he was going to get down since he wasn't near a fire escape but I pushed the thought away. Night had plenty of climbing experience: he could probably just scale down the side using the bricks and windows.

I slowly turned and headed over to the fire escape that led to the girls' bunkroom. I was excited at the possibility of going to the get-together tomorrow but still apprehensive since I would have to always be putting on a double act. Night and the others knew what my act would be but Jack and the Newsies thought that I was there for a little "reunion" with my former friends and also to spy on Night's plans.

All of this was starting to make my head spin so when I finally got back inside I was glad to pull off my shoes and hat and change into my sleeping shirt before snuggling under my blanket.

'_How many masks can you juggle before you slip up and they all fall and break at your feet?'_ I wondered as I slowly slipped off into sleep.

/

The next day after I was finished selling, Race and Mush dragged me straight back to the Lodging House instead of following our usual plan of heading over to Tibby's. At first I was a little confused so I voiced that confusion to the two boys.

"Why are we going back to the Lodging House? I need food," I questioned, pointing my thumb in the general direction of Tibby's.

"Jack wants to talk to you," Race said, glancing over at me for a second.

"Ok," I replied simply.

I didn't press the issue any further, probably to the surprise of Race and Mush, because I was pretty sure I already knew what the conversation topic would be: the party tonight for the Black Kings. It occurred to me that the other reason could be that someone overheard Night and I talking on the roof last night and had told Jack. A small hollow feeling started to form in my pit but I tried to push it away.

That was the other downside of being a spy. You basically lived in constant fear of someone finding you out and having everything fall apart around you.

We finally reached the Lodging House and made our way up to the boys' bunkroom. To my surprise, it was completely deserted except for Jack and Spot. I suppose everyone else was at Tibby's right now, enjoying a hot (yet small) meal. My stomach practically rumbled at the mere thought.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, skipping over pleasantries.

I noticed that Race and Mush had stayed in the room which meant they were also going to be involved in this whole operation. They'd probably be my "body guards" or something. As if those boys could ever take down a couple of Black Kings. Seriously, Race already got his ass kicked once.

"Here's the deal," Jack said, cutting right to the chase, "We got a tip that the Black Kings are going to have a party at one of the bars over on the south side of Manhattan. We want you to go to that and talk to people and see if you can find anything out,"

"Alright," I said, trying to control my apprehension.

Night had given me directions to find Holler right away but I still hated the uncertainty of this entire mission. I liked being given explicit directions; there were too many variables to this night. Then again, I'd had to deal with a lot of random curveballs being thrown at me recently. I was sure I could handle one night.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Ten," Jack replied, "Plenty of time until then"

I nodded my head in understanding.

"We'll leave about 9:30 to walk over there. It'll probably take us a while to get to the bar. You'll go in first by yourself and then the rest of us will sneak in later. We'll all be wearing disguises so you probably won't see us but we'll be there, I promise," Jack explained.

"Trust me, I'll be able to pick you guys out," I replied calmly.

Jack smiled a tiny bit when I said that.

"Is that all then?" I asked.

"Yep. We'll see you in a few hours," Jack said.

I nodded my head in reply before turning around and heading out of the room. I closed the door behind me and leaned on it, shutting my eyes for a few seconds. Too many mixed emotions were running through me right now. Maybe it was a good thing I wasn't going to Tibby's because right now I honestly felt like I could hurl.

Glancing down the hallway, my eyes zeroed in on the door to the girls' bedroom. Sleep. Sleep was what I needed. Sleep was where I would be able to finally find relief.

**A/N Sorry for taking a bit longer with this chapter everyone. For some reason I just couldn't get any inspiration for it at first. So hopefully you all enjoyed it and I promise the next chapter will be out much quicker. **


	35. Chapter 35

After a very long nap and a very stressful walk, I now found myself standing in front of the bar where the Black Kings party was being held. I had never been to this one before; my guess was that Night picked it so that there would be less of a chance of a surprise appearance from Newsies or Sharks who were aware of the usual Black King haunts.

I adjusted the black cap on top of my forehead for what must have been the hundredth time. It wasn't my Newsie cap. Jack had told me to leave that back at the Lodging House. Instead, I was wearing a random black cap that the boys had somehow "found" and had a black bandanna tied around my arm. I was still dressed up in regular Newsie clothes but the bandanna and hat signaled my true loyalties. It wasn't strange for people and especially spies to attend these parties in different clothing than the all-black we normally wore. It worried me slightly that Jack and the others now knew the appropriate dress code for a Black King event. That meant that they could probably slip in a spy and few people would take notice. I suppose that was one of the downsides of always wearing the same color and covering your face even from your other gang members. You stopped being able to recognize people and keep your enemies straight from your allies.

The thought also occurred to me that I still didn't know exactly how Jack and the others thought that they were going to be able to make it inside. They sure as hell weren't dressed for the party and Jack and Spot couldn't exactly just stroll inside and expect not to be noticed. Race and Mush had a better fighting chance but they would still run the risk of being recognized by someone who'd seen them in the streets or, in Race's case, had beaten them to a pulp.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself against my nerves and strode confidently to the front door, easing it open with the usual grace of a Black King. Walking inside was nothing like walking into the birthday party the Newsies had thrown for me. With the Newsies, everything had been loud and all-over-the-place. With the Black Kings, however, the atmosphere was casual and calm although you could almost smell the danger wafting from every person in this place. It was an odd balance between being able to relax and yet still having to watch your back every now and then. But then again, the Black Kings were never ones to be anything less than perfectly lethal, even in our down time.

I slowly started to walk across the crowded table area, my eyes scanning for Night, Holler, or someone else I knew who could point me in the right direction. I was familiar with most of the people here but I didn't really know who to start out talking to. Instead, I settled for weaving in between tables and groups of people slowly, making it look like I had a destination when in fact I was just wandering and trying to figure out my next move.

An unexpected tap on my shoulder caused me to stop abruptly midstride and turn around, ready for an unfriendly face or a punch aimed at me. Instead, I came face-to-chest with a comfortingly familiar person: Holler.

"Fancy seeing you here," Holler said, grinning so widely I thought his face would split in two.

"You know I'm always up for a good party," I replied, smirking.

"I do," he replied, eyes flashing with amusement.

I glanced down and saw that he was holding two beer bottles in his hands. He noticed the gesture and immediately held one out to me.

"Here. I got it for you," he declared solemnly.

"Thanks. I need it," I accepted thankfully, taking a big gulp.

"Not too fast there. You've got the entire night to drink," Holler said, laughing.

"You obviously don't know what it's like working with the Newsies. Trust me, I definitely need this," I replied, making a face.

Holler just laughed at that, throwing back his head. I laughed also, the casual atmosphere infecting me slowly. It was such a difference from the Lodging House where everyone was being so solemn lately. At the same time, it made me wonder. The Black Kings were also at war right now; how were they able to be so casual about it?

"Hey Holler," I said, grabbing his attention back towards me, "how come everyone is so at ease right now? Don't they know we're at war?"

"They know it. They just don't care because they're all confident enough that we're going to win," he explained.

"And what do you think?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Holler didn't turn around as he answered my question.

"I think that it's good that our confidence is up but we also need to be prepared," he answered cautiously.

He had given a fairly diplomatic answer but I could tell from the tone of his voice that he thought that we were overconfident and that that could kill us eventually.

We paused next to a booth with a few people sitting in it. I nodded my head at one of the guys I knew who nodded back before turning his attention to Holler who had started talking to all three of them. I used the opportunity to lean my back against the wooden wall dividing the booths and scanned the room. It was starting to get more crowded now as more and more people started showing up. Surprisingly enough, the noise level in the room didn't really rise that much. I think Black Kings had a natural tendency to adapt and conform so everyone was probably trying to blend in with the established sound level.

Suddenly an arm cut off my view of the rest of the room. I turned my head and saw Holler standing much closer than he was five seconds ago talking to the others, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Had too much to drink already?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope. I just want to make Jack and the others squirm. I know they're watching this somehow," he said, leaning in close.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"In that case, do what you want. Short of kissing me of course," I said.

"Don't worry I wouldn't try that. Although I would love to see the look on Jacky-boy's face after I did that," Holler said grinning.

"Pure horror and anger," I said laughing.

"Come on kid," he said, putting a casual arm around my shoulder, "I know Night's around here somewhere,"

"He told me to come find him after I found you or someone else," I commented, glancing around the room.

"Yeah. It might've been a bit suspicious for the Newsies if the first person you went to was Night," he replied.

I nodded my head.

"That means," Holler continued, his grin slowly growing, "that we can do some more socializing before we have to get down to business,"

He immediately pulled me over to the bar and we sat down on two of the stools.

"Cheers," he said, clinking his bottle against mine before starting to chug his beer down.

Not wanting to get shown up, I immediately followed suit, letting the bitter liquid slide down my throat, completely bypassing my taste buds. I didn't particularly like beer but, hey, it was better than nothing.

We both slammed our drinks down at about the same time on the counter. Holler signaled to the bartender at the end who immediately hurried over. A lot faster than the other bartender from the Newsie party might I add.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"Two beers," Holler answered, sliding some change across the counter.

"Coming right up," the man replied, reaching under the counter and coming up again with two bottles in his hand.

He slid them across the table and each caught one. Holler pulled out a little bottle opener he kept in his pocket and swiftly opened both of the bottles. I sipped at this beer a bit more slowly. No sense in getting completely drunk just yet. That could come later.

"So how's the planning been going?" I asked casually, scanning the room.

"It's coming along," Holler said simply.

I glanced over at him and saw the stress evident on his face. Obviously the planning was not going as well as it should have.

"That bad, huh?" I asked, taking another swig of beer.

Holler sighed and rested a hand tiredly against his forehead.

"Night and Steel and Trap have all been disagreeing about how to handle the upcoming war. Steel thinks we need more random attacks while Trap thinks we need to conserve our energy for the final battle and Night wants a big attack that will cripple the Newsies but not out in the open. I think he understands the most how vulnerable we're starting to become and he's saying to hell with pride right now if it means survival," he explained.

"Well they better agree fast before there isn't even a gang left to plan battles for," I murmured.

"That's what I told them," Holler said, clearly exasperated.

"Always the voice of reason Holler," I said, chuckling.

"I try," he replied trying to look like a tragic hero.

"Anything else?" I asked, suppressing a laugh.

"We drew out of Brooklyn entirely: no sense in trying to keep that territory for right now. And we've pulled back our borders slightly. We need to secure everything before we try anything offensive," he said.

I nodded my head, processing the information.

"And how much of this should I tell Jack and the others? Given that apparently I'm a spy for them now," I asked.

"We'll let Night decide that," Holler said, glancing around the room, "Speaking of which, there he is,"

I followed Holler's gaze to the booth in the corner where Night was indeed sitting along with Steel and Trap.

"Well I think we've socialized enough for right now. Let's go pay Night a visit," I said, sliding off my stool.

Holler followed suit and the two of us wove our way across the increasingly crowded room to where Night and the others were. I was constantly on the lookout for Jack and the others but to my surprise I couldn't find them which unnerved me slightly. It wasn't a good thing that they could hide in plain sight at a Black Kings' party.

We finally strode up to the table with Holler leading the way. I flashed Night a quick smile and he nodded in return, playing the role of a leader who's seeing an old gang member again. I pretended to look a bit nervous just in case the Newsies were watching.

"How's it rolling Night?" I asked, trying to seem both respectful and casual.

"Can't complain. Your new employers have been getting on my nerves recently though," Night said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yeah, well, no one ever said that the Newsies were known for being smart," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Night smirked at that.

"It's good to see you again," he said, relaxing slightly.

"It's good to be back," I said, bowing my head down for a second.

Night regarded me for a second before patting the seat next to him.

"Why don't you sit next to me and we can catch up a little bit?" he asked, although it was really more of a command.

"Alright," I said, nodding my head.

I slowly slid into the booth next to Night, who immediately put his arm around me. It was a bit weird but I just went with it.

"Your Newsie guys are here, right?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, somewhere," I said, scanning the room for the tenth time.

"Well you better find them. I don't want random Newsies crashing my party," Night warned.

"I will," I replied confidently, although on the inside I wasn't so sure if I could.

These boys were damn good at hiding unfortunately. I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere in an effort to distract Night.

"So how are the plans going?" I asked carefully.

Night's face tensed up slightly and he didn't reply immediately. A small feeling of unease settled into the bottom of my stomach. I knew we weren't doing really well but Holler and Night made it seem like we were losing, and badly. Leaning in slightly more towards Night, I braced myself for the bad news to come.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N So I realize that the story is starting to get pretty confusing so I thought I would do a quick summary of everything just so everyone can make sure they have the story straight:**

**Actor and Jack are siblings. Jack thinks that Actor doesn't know the truth about that while in reality she does and she is waiting for him to talk to her about it. Spot was suspicious of Actor and her background for a while so Actor finally told him the "truth" and said that she used to be in the Black Kings but wasn't anymore which Spot believed. Jack and Race overheard this conversation so they know everything but they don't know that Actor knows that they were listening in on the conversation. Striker is the leader of the Street Sharks, a rival gang trying to take down the Black Kings. Break is the best friend of Actor from the Black Kings and it was revealed that he was a traitor by the brother of the previous Black Kings leader who is now back in town and will probably show up again pretty soon. Actor ratted out Break so Break is now known to everyone as a traitor but Break didn't rat out Actor to the Newsies so she was able to continue being a spy, although Break will make this very difficult for her. After Actor tried to get a note out to Night she ran into a few Black Kings and then some Newsies showed up. Having to explain herself quickly, Actor said that she is still in touch with some of her old friends, prompting Striker to have the idea that she should spy on the Black Kings for the Newsies (even though in reality it's the other way around). So now she's at a party for the Black Kings and is "spying" on Night for the Newsies. Also, it was hinted at in the past few chapters that Break is starting to get other Black Kings to go along with his treachery. And of course people having been beating each other up along the way, continually fueling the war. **

**Hopefully this clears things up! Thank you so much for reading and enjoy!**

"We're having some…disagreements about how to proceed with the war," Night started to say.

"I think we need to do more of the random attacks on groups of Newsies. That will weaken them little by little and will demoralize them because they won't be able to protect themselves," Steel stated firmly.

"I disagree. I think we need to focus all of our efforts in planning for the final battle. We'll need to make sure everything's perfect before we try to take on three different groups. That battle is a matter of pride. If we focus on weakening the others before that battle then we'll just look weak ourselves," Trap countered.

"And I think that we need to focus our efforts now on one major attack that will not be face-to-face. I want to do something that will make them lose hope and any major ground they've managed to gain," Night argued.

The three practically glared around the table at each other before Night finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We've been butting heads here. I think we need a new perspective. What do you think Eclipse?" he asked, shifting over slightly to look at me.

I leaned back and considered their ideas for a moment. All of them had their merits but also their weaknesses.

"What we need," I said slowly, "Is balance"

The three of them looked at me, clearly confused.

"Balance?" Trap echoed.

I nodded my head.

"All of your ideas have their strengths but also their weaknesses. What we need to do is find a balance between them that uses all of their strengths," I explained.

The boys still looked like they didn't fully understand what I was saying so I pressed on.

"I agree with Steel that we need to keep up the small attacks. Those are hard for the Newsies to defend against and they will just keep getting angrier which will hopefully lead them to make a mistake. I also think we need to plan for the final battle. That battle will decide everything so it does need to be perfect. As for the secret but major attack, even though I don't exactly know what you mean by that, I think it would be good also. Anything to bring down the Newsies or even the Street Sharks," I said.

The three boys all let that sink in for a few seconds before Night nodded his head slowly.

"I like that. Those plans alone wouldn't have been enough. But together, that might actually give us the edge to turn the war back in our favor," he said.

Turning to me, he smiled and ruffled my hair.

"I knew I kept you around for some reason," he said teasingly.

I laughed and elbowed him lightly.

"Can you stay here instead of going back to those Newsies?" Steel asked jokingly, although something in his tone made me think he was being somewhat serious.

"Unfortunately we do need her to stay back with the Newsies and get as much information as she can. It's too late to try and put someone else in her spot," Night said, shaking his head.

I just smiled and took a sip of my beer.

"Well if we're all done talking strategy then I'm going to go get some more drinks," Steel said, standing up.

"I'll get some too," Trap said and the two of them headed off towards the bar together.

I quickly seized on the opportunity to talk to Night alone. I didn't think that Steel and Trap knew about my new role as a "spy" for the Newsies and honestly the less people who knew the better.

"So what do you want me to tell the Newsies?" I asked quietly.

Night contemplated the question for a little bit, sipping on his beer. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he thought about what the consequences would be for every little thing I told the Newsies.

"Well I can't let you go back without any information. I don't think Jack would really believe that," Night mused, "But obviously I don't want you to tell him everything. How about… let him think that we were talking about decreasing attacks on the streets but that we were starting to plan something big that we wouldn't tell you about. And also that there was some infighting. That should make him believe that his Newsies will be safe and that we're falling apart, both of which are false, and that there will be a big attack which should put him on edge,"

"Alright. Where do you think the big attack will be?" I asked.

"Right here," he said, tapping a finger against my chest, right around where my heart was.

I looked at him questioningly but he just smiled back at me. Right then Steel and Trap came back each holding an armful of unopened beers.

"Let's get this party really started," Steel said, grinning.

We all held up our opened beers in a toast.

"Here's to forever being the Kings of New York," Steel said proudly.

"Cheers," the rest of us called out before we all downed the rest of our drinks.

The night seemed to go very fast from that point on. The room filled up to the point of bursting by around midnight. It was a sea of black and everyone was starting to get loud now that the alcohol had been flowing for some time. I lost track of how many beers I had but I knew it was enough that my mind had started to get that hazy feeling.

I was currently watching an arm-wrestling match between Steel and some very beefy Black King I had never seen before but I was starting to get bored. Setting what was left of my bottle down on the table next to me, I wove through the crowd that had gathered and headed over towards one of the hallways in the back. What I needed right now was some alone time and these hallways were the perfect place where I could get it.

I slipped into one of them and to my delight found it completely deserted. Once I made sure I was completely out of sight of everyone in the other room I leaned up against the wall and let my eyes fall shut. I hadn't realized how tired I actually was until all the excitement started to wear off.

Running a hand across my face, I suppressed a groan. I needed to keep up the act even if it was for just a little bit longer. Sighing, I let my hand fall down to my side and opened my eyes. To my surprise, Break was standing right in front of me, in the black outfit that I was used to seeing him in.

"Break!" I said in surprise, wondering if my hazy brain was making me imagine things.

"Shh don't give me away," he said, putting a finger over his lips.

"You aren't supposed to be here," I declared, narrowing my eyes.

"I know that. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"No. I'm going to go tell Night. You can't be here. You aren't a Black King anymore," I said accusingly, turning to walk away.

Break grabbed a hold of one of my arms, however, and pulled me back towards him.

"Please don't tell him. I'm here for a good reason," he said.

"No you're not. You're here to spy," I declared, narrowing my eyes.

"No I'm not. I promise. I wouldn't lie to you, right?" he pleaded.

The hopeful look on his face stopped my sassy reply. I never could resist Break when he really wanted something…

"I…" I tried to come up with an excuse but my brain was failing me.

Break pressed on, seeing my falter slightly.

"It's just for a little bit. All I have to do is find Jack and the others and get them out safely," he said, squeezing my shoulders reassuringly.

I studied him as best as I could in my drunken haze.

"Fine," I said finally, "Go find Jack and the others"

"Thanks Eclipse. Now you stay right here, ok? I'll be back to get you in a minute," he said before pulling up his bandanna and walking down the hallway.

When he reached the entrance of the hallway he turned around slightly and raised up his hand with his palm to the ground. I knew that signal; I'd seen it a hundred times before. It was the Black King signal for stay put. I nodded my head and watched as he turned right and disappeared from view. However, I wasn't going to stay put. Even if I was completely sober I wouldn't have followed Break's orders.

I made my way to the entrance of the hallway and peered out into the crowded room. Even though Break had left only a few seconds ago he had already disappeared among everyone. I stuck my head into the room as far as I dared without making myself overly obvious. After straining my eyes trying to look for Break, I finally spotted him off to the side next to a booth, talking to someone. Four figures emerged from the booth slowly and even though they wore all black and had their faces covered I immediately recognized them: it was Race, Mush, Jack, and Spot. Even in Black King garb I could tell who they were. Still, I felt a sense of relief wash over me as they all started walking my direction. I was kind of glad to get out of here now, especially since we had to get back to the Lodging House.

My eyes narrowed, however, when I noticed that Break wasn't walking back over with the others. Instead, he turned around and headed over to the other side of the room and slid into the corner booth. I couldn't see anyone else in the booth even though I tried my hardest. I was about to walk out into the room and see who it was when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the hallway.

I turned slightly and saw that it was Race who had grabbed my arm.

"Get off me," I said coldly, yanking my arm away.

Race looked slightly hurt but my attention was drawn away from him when Jack spoke.

"You got drunk," Jack stated, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

I bristled at his words and shot him a glare.

"Welcome to a Black King party. If you can't keep up than get out," I spat back at him.

"You didn't have to drink you know," Jack countered.

"Yes I did. That's how you talk to people. You drink with them. Night would've thought something was wrong and wouldn't have told me anything if I hadn't drank with them," I argued.

"Well you could've pretended then," Jack said, frustrated.

"No Jack I couldn't. When Night gets a beer everyone else does too. People know if you don't keep up," I explained, getting angrier.

Before Jack could retort I cut him off sharply.

"Just shut up Jack. You don't know a damn thing alright? Who here was in the Black Kings for the past ten years? Who here actually knows how to act and what the rules are? Oh wait, that's right, it's me," I said icily.

"You're right," Jack started to say but I cut him off again.

"Damn straight I'm right. You guys are pathetic. Even in all black and with bandannas on I still picked you guys out from across the room. You aren't subtle at all," I sneered at him.

"That's just cause you know us better," Race finally cut in.

"Every Black King can spot another Black King. You guys underestimate their intelligence," I snorted, turning back towards the room.

Spot's hand on my shoulder, however, prevented me from going any further.

"We need to go Actor," he said firmly.

"I need to wait for Break," I said, trying to shrug his hand off.

He grabbed onto both of my shoulders and forced me to face him.

"He'll catch up with us in a second. We need to go now before someone sees us," he said, surprisingly calm.

His calm attitude shocked me for a second. I hesitated before replying.

"Ok," I said, allowing him to take my hand and lead me in the opposite direction down the hallway.

I didn't spare Jack a glance (I was still mad at him) but I did glance at Race when he put his arm around my shoulders.

"Let's get you home," he said, smiling at me.

This time I didn't feel any anger towards him and instead returned the smile. In the back of my head I realized that the alcohol was making me have some serious mood swings but I just ignored it. I really didn't give a damn at the moment.

/

**Back at the Black King Party**

Break slid into the booth where Slick was sitting patiently, his hands clasping a beer that he had yet to drink from. Slick hadn't felt like getting drunk tonight, especially given the decision he was about to make. He wanted to make sure he had a completely clear head for this.

"Have you given my offer any thought?" Break asked, voice slightly muffled from the bandanna he refused to pull down.

He wanted to take the damn thing off but he couldn't run the risk of someone recognizing him.

"I have," Slick said, staring down at the beer bottle.

"And…?" Break pressed.

Normally he wasn't impatient but he knew Eclipse was back in a hallway at least somewhat drunk and he wanted to get her and the other Newsies out as quickly as possible.

Slick raised his gaze so that he was looking Break straight in the eye.

"I'm in," he said calmly.

Break wanted to cheer at his good fortune but settled for celebrating internally instead. Slick was a long-time member of the Black Kings and therefore knew almost everyone. Slick would be able to convince more people and get others to join the cause of the Newsies as well.

"Glad to hear it," Break replied, nodding his head.

"And…" Slick started to say.

Break decided against pressing Slick for answers this time and instead waited patiently for him to continue.

"I've been talking to some other people as well. Quietly, of course. But I think I convinced a few more people," Slick said, glancing over to gauge Break's reaction.

Break allowed a small smile to slip onto his face since Slick couldn't see it. Slick was already getting others to join the side of the Newsies and Break hadn't even had to ask nicely.

"Glad to hear that. Thanks for the help," Break replied smoothly.

He extended his hand across the table and shook hands with Slick who nodded his head in response before slipping out of the booth. The meeting had been brief but Break knew that Jack and Spot would be relieved to know that he had an in with the gang again. He had honestly been a little bit worried that they would cast him aside once he had been kicked out of the Black Kings. Luckily Spot had decided that it would still be useful to have his knowledge, although Spot had been an asshole about explaining all of that.

Break glanced across the room at the hallway where he had left Eclipse and was relieved to see that she wasn't trying to spy on him or stand out in the open. Hopefully Jack and the others had gotten to her and had convinced her to go back to the Lodging House with them. The last thing Break needed was a drunk, vengeful Eclipse wandering around blowing his cover.

Break stood up and reflexively checked to make sure his bandanna was still up and hiding his face. He still had some business to attend to and he couldn't let a simple slip-up such as showing his face get in the way of his plans.


	37. Chapter 37

The walk back was completely uneventful. It actually passed by pretty fast since I was concentrating so much on just walking in a straight line and trying to act as sober as possible. Once we reached the Lodging House, however, instead of going inside I decided that I would wait outside for Break to get back. Jack tried to pull me inside but I immediately sat down on one of the concrete stairs and refused to get up. I had a fierce argument with the others about it until Jack finally threw up his hands and gave up. Spot lingered behind slightly as the others filed into the building.

"Do you want me to wait up with you for Break to get back?" he asked once the others were gone.

I regarded him closely. On one hand, company would be good so I wouldn't fall asleep or get attacked by someone randomly wandering the streets. On the other hand, I was still a little tipsy and I was worried that I would say something I shouldn't.

However, thanks to the lovely influence of alcohol, emotion won out over logic.

"Sure," I said, patting the concrete next to me.

Spot lowered himself onto the step next to me. Given how small the step was there was only a few inches of space left between the two of us. At first we sat there quietly observing the city. I was lost in a world of my own thinking about how lovely it was outside and how badly I wanted to just stand up and go free-running through the shadows. It was something that I absolutely loved to do but hadn't been able to for a while now. Night generally disapproved of it because the tactic focused on speed rather than stealth. In my case I used it because it was just plain fun.

I was in the middle of imagining myself flying across the city through its back alleys when Spot's voice broke me from my trance.

"So how long are you going to wait for Break?" he asked.

"As long as it takes until he gets back," I responded airily.

"That's a long time to wait," Spot observed.

"You waited up for me for a long time too," I said bluntly, turning to look at him.

He also turned his head to meet my gaze for a few seconds before responding.

"True," he said shortly.

"And why was that?" I asked.

I knew I was taking the conversation in a direction that I wasn't sure I actually wanted it to go but the alcohol in my system was helping me get over that pretty quickly.

Spot paused again before responding.

"I wanted to make sure you got home safely," he stated.

"Home…" I echoed blankly, turning back to look out at the dark street.

I could feel Spot's eyes on me, studying me closely.

"You don't think of the Newsies as a home?" he asked carefully.

I laughed, not even trying to hide the bitterness that crept into my voice.

"I haven't had a home since I was six. I don't even really remember what it's like," I said shortly.

"Not even when you were with the Black Kings?" Spot pressed.

I furrowed my eyebrows, pretending I was thinking hard about his question.

"The Black Kings aren't a family. They're a way of life, a way to get by on the streets. A way to survive. They aren't a home," I said, shaking my head.

I almost shuddered when I realized just how true my statement was. I may still be protecting the Black Kings, but they weren't my home. I don't have one.

"Are you glad you left?" Spot asked abruptly.

I looked at him in shock for a moment before hesitantly replying.

"Yes. It took me a while to realize that but I am. It's like I can finally breathe for once," I said.

"You mean you can breathe with all this pollution?" he joked.

I stared at him in shock before I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard I had to cover my mouth so that Jack and the others wouldn't hear and come outside to see what was going on. Spot Conlon had just made a joke. The King of Brooklyn. I couldn't believe it.

"I didn't think it was that funny," Spot commented, a small smile playing on his lips.

I shook my head and forced myself to calm down.

"It wasn't. It's just that I didn't think you even knew what a joke was, let alone how to make one," I replied, still grinning broadly.

"I have my moments," he said, looking out across the street, not bothering to hide his growing smile.

"Who would've thought that the Spot Conlon had a sense of humor?" I mused, still chuckling.

"I do. I just don't show it most of the time," Spot replied calmly, although I could hear the slightest hint of bitterness in his voice.

I studied him carefully for a moment. He was looking out across the dark and empty street, completely straight-faced. His eyes, however, were brewing with a storm that he'd probably held deep within himself for a while now.

"I guess the King of Brooklyn can't exactly breathe easily in New York either," I said slowly.

I actually saw Spot wince when I said those words.

"Please don't call me that. I hear it enough as it is," he said, trying to sound casual.

"Sorry," I replied quietly.

"It's fine. I just hear those words a lot is all," he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd expect nothing less with the reputation you've managed to get for yourself," I commented lightly.

"Guess I shouldn't be complaining right? I have a borough to myself and the rest of the city listens to my every word," Spot replied, laughing.

"And no room for any mistakes," I observed.

Spot glanced over at me and I met his gaze evenly.

"Yeah. It's worse if you mess up at the top than on your way to the top. At the bottom you can still go up. Once you're at the top, though, there's nowhere else to go but down," he said dryly.

I was surprised at what Spot was saying. I knew the guy was more intelligent than your average Newsie but I didn't realize that he actually had given that much thought to this kind of stuff.

"Sounds like a lot of pressure," I said, turning my gaze back out to the street.

"It is," he replied shortly.

There was a slight pause in the conversation before I felt compelled to speak again.

"That's what I actually liked about the Black Kings," I said, trying to keep my tone light. "No one knew you. To this city, you were faceless. A shadow,"

Spot didn't respond at first and I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. I must've sounded stupid saying that. I'm sure he had already heard that line a hundred times yet here I was, spouting it off like I came up with it on my own.

"What are you going to do after the war?" Spot asked abruptly.

"I'm not sure yet," I replied hesitantly, thrown off guard by his question.

He studied me intently with that famous cool gaze of his.

"You're lying," he stated bluntly.

I struggled to keep a straight face and replied.

"I have some options. I just don't know what I'll do," I said carefully.

"And what are your options?" he pressed.

I regarded him warily but didn't respond.

"What will you do if the Black Kings lose?"

I sat rigid on the step. I wanted to tell him to mind his own damn business but I had to make it seem like I wasn't going to be really affected by my "former bosses" losing a war.

"Keep on doing whatever I want to. The Black Kings don't control me anymore," I replied tersely.

"But surely it'll be a shock to see all your former gang members wandering around this city without anything to do," he commented coolly.

His calm attitude right now made me want to punch him in the face.

"I'm done with this conversation Spot," I said firmly, turning back so that my entire body was facing the street instead of being partially turned towards him.

We were having such a nice moment and he had to go be an idiot as usual and ruin the whole thing. Just… God damn it.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, breaking me out of my internal rant.

I glanced over at him in surprise. Spot Conlon just apologized? That was also something I'd never heard of before.

"I didn't mean to make you mad," he continued, running a hand through his hair, "I was just curious. I wanted to know if you were still going to be a Newsie after all of this was over"

I regarded him warily. To my slight annoyance, his apology had abruptly ended my anger towards him. And his sincerity made me want to tell him the truth about everything. Especially about my plans to leave New York.

"I don't know yet," I replied, slightly strained.

"I'd like it if you stayed in the Newsies," he confessed, mumbling slightly.

I thought I saw the faintest hint of red on his cheeks but I wasn't sure in the darkness. When he turned to look at me, though, I swear my heart stopped for a second. I hadn't noticed it before, but his eyes were such a bright, crystal blue. They almost glowed now in the moonlight. He smiled slightly at me and I swear I couldn't breathe. New York ceased to exist. It was like only these concrete steps existed in the world. Even the Newsies upstairs seemed hundreds of miles away.

For some reason, Break popped into my head then. I remembered his laugh and the way he'd protected me for so long. How he'd wrap me in his arms after not seeing me for a few days and how he'd always remembered the little things about me that no one else cared about. There was a small twinge in my heart of some emotion I couldn't identify. It confused me but also brought me back to reality. Just like that my breath came back and all of the buildings came back into my line of sight. Spot was still there, only a few inches away, sitting on the step looking at me expectantly. And there I was, sitting there like an idiot with my mouth open.

"I'll see how everything turns out," I said lamely, looking out onto the street again.

I could feel my cheeks heat up. I must've sounded like the stupidest person ever. Really, someone actually says that they want you to stay someplace (for the first time ever in your life too) and you have to go and be all 'Oh I don't know'. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I just couldn't get the idea of Santa Fe out of my head though. In my mind, the buildings faded away and the streets turned to long grass that swayed gently in the wind. The sky was lit up with thousands of stars, more than I could ever imagine. Nothing of my past had traveled with me there; I was a new person.

As I dreamed of Santa Fe, however, I felt my eyelids slowly start to droop. I don't know how long I'd been sitting on the steps with Spot but it felt very late and the alcohol still in my system was just making me even more tired. As I nodded off, I felt myself lean slightly to rest on Spot's shoulder. To my surprise, he didn't protest or try to push me off like I was sure he would. The thought made me smile slightly.

As I drifted off, however, a thought occurred to me that would've been a lot more worrying if all of my senses weren't dulled by sleep and alcohol:

'_Who was in that booth that Break was talking too? What Black King would actually still want to talk to Break after he got kicked out of the gang?'_

/

Break walked quickly through the streets of New York. He had talked to some other people at the Black Kings party and hadn't been able to get away until it was all really winding down. He had meant to leave earlier and try and see Eclipse again but it had taken much longer than he had expected to deal with everything.

Swearing internally, he picked up his pace, heading for the Lodging House. It was late and although most of the Black Kings were drunk off their asses he still felt uneasy about staying out on the streets in the open so late at night. Once you knew what was actually lurking in the shadows you never could really relax anymore. Instead of going back to his current hiding place he felt like staying over at the Lodging House. He could just crash on a couch until morning, see Eclipse, talk stuff over with Jack, and then disappear. Quick and simple.

He turned onto the street with the Lodging House and peered ahead into the darkness. He could clearly see the building not too far away and could also make out what looked like two people sitting on the steps in front of the door. Furrowing his eyebrows, Break slowed down his pace slightly and stayed more in the shadows. He didn't know who those people were or why they were up so late at night.

When he got closer, however, he could see that it was Eclipse and Spot. It looked like Eclipse had fallen asleep and was currently sleeping on Spot's shoulder. Spot didn't seem to mind at all and instead was looking at her with the kind of adoration that Break usually felt for her. Right now, however, Break couldn't help but feel annoyed. He stepped out of the shadows and headed right towards the pair. Spot finally sensed him at some point and looked up, his eyes now hard with the usual protective barrier he kept up around other people instead of the warm gaze he had had a second ago.

"How sweet of you to wait up for me," Bread said, letting the sarcasm seep into his voice.

He really shouldn't be sarcastic with the King of Brooklyn but he couldn't help it. Seeing Eclipse leaning against Spot, sleeping, sent a twinge of jealousy through him.

"Trust me I didn't want to. Actor insisted on it though," Spot retorted, looking down at the girl using him as a pillow.

Break's gaze softened when he looked at Eclipse. She just looked so peaceful and calm, completely different from how she was when she had to put up a front for Night and the others. Break didn't want her to have to act anymore or hide herself away from everyone. He wanted her to be that calm all the time.

"Well I'm back now so we can put her to bed," Break said, approaching the two of them.

Leaning down, he picked up Eclipse so that she was cradled in his arms like a little child. He straightened back up, making sure that her head was resting comfortable against his upper arm. He was a bit surprised that Spot didn't protest but shrugged it off. He had gotten the feeling a while back that Spot liked Actor but he wasn't sure whether or not Brooklyn boy would decide to act on it or not, especially given her background and the fact that she was Jack's sister.

Break had to keep a smug grin off his face. He didn't care about her past because he knew all about it and he didn't really have any connections to Jack so he didn't care about the sibling thing either. Besides, he doubted that Actor even wanted Jack as a brother. He couldn't even man up and tell her who he was.

He leaned down just enough so that he could slowly turn the handle and push the door open, bathing the first few feet inside the house with moonlight. He was about to step inside the Lodging House when Spot's voice stopped him.

"We need to protect her," Spot said abruptly.

Break paused slightly with the door open but didn't turn around to face Spot.

"I will. I can protect her," Break stated firmly.

He walked inside and shut the door behind him with his foot, leaving Spot outside. He could protect Eclipse all on his own. And he'd be damned if he let some Brooklyn Newsie try to help him out.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N Sorry that this chapter took a while guys but school just started up again for me (as I'm sure it did for a lot you guys also) so I've been a lot busier. And just as a heads up, there will be a lot more time between chapters just because I have a lot more to focus on with my classes and such. Thanks for understanding and I hope you guys keep on enjoying the story!**

I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of people getting up and moving all around. Everything was blurry at first and I blinked several times, trying to clear up my vision. When it finally did, I saw that I was staring at the bottom of the bunk above me. What…?

I racked my brain, thinking hard. The last think I remembered from last night was drifting asleep on Spot's shoulder as we sat outside, talking. Spot…

My cheeks heated up immediately at the thought and I had to keep myself from groaning. I told him so much last night. So so so stupid. I should've just told him to go inside and waited by myself for Break. Instead, we end up talking and laughing like we're suddenly good pals or something. And I even thought he was cute for a second. Spot Conlon? He was the biggest jerk ever! I can't even believe that thought ever even popped into my head. Thank god I kept myself from doing something stupid. But falling asleep on him was still embarrassing. He might've even carried me up to my bed at some point. The thought made the heat in cheeks rise up even higher.

I let out a muffled sound of exasperation and proceeded to sit up which I immediately found out was a terrible idea. My head felt like someone took a hammer to it fifty times. At first I thought I had bumped my head but when I cracked my eyes open I saw I was still a good foot away from the bottom of the bunk above me. Of course. I had drank too much last night and was now suffering from a God-awful hangover. I gritted my teeth and tried not to wince too much.

"You okay Actor?"

I turned my head and saw Matches standing next to my bed, looking concerned.

"I'll be fine," I said, forcing a smile on my face. "I just sat up too fast and hit my head on the bottom of the bunk,"

I couldn't tell her I'd been drinking last night because that would've led to too many questions that I couldn't answer in my current state.

"That sucks," she said, smiling back sympathetically, "I'm sure it'll feel better soon"

"Yeah," was all I could manage to reply as I watched her turn around and walk out of the room.

I slowly brought my legs over the edge of the bed, one at a time. I'd had hangovers before and I knew that I would be moving a lot slower today than I normally did. I sat there for a moment, willing myself to focus. Luckily I didn't feel nauseous which is what sometimes happened when I was hungover. I just really, really, really needed a glass of water. Gingerly standing up, I waited for the spinning of the room to stop before slowly walking over to the door. I was still in my clothes from last night but I didn't even bother thinking about changing. I turned the knob and made my way out into the hallway. Some of the guy Newsies were already running down the stairs although I could still hear plenty of activity in the washroom.

And of course, who else was standing outside of the washroom but the one and only Spot Conlon. I swore internally but was still grateful that he hadn't noticed me yet. I decided to skip washing my face or brushing my hair or anything this morning. I didn't want to have to walk past Spot twice and besides, I didn't think I could even manage to pick up a brush right now anyway. I tried to move as quickly and silently as possible despite the splitting pain in my head but unfortunately Conlon chose to turn and look at me right as I was only a few feet away from him. Before he could say anything I nodded in his direction and hurried past him before I could see his response. I could already feel my cheeks heating up from embarrassment as I replayed last night's events over again in my head. I would just have to establish that nothing had really changed between us. It didn't matter if we had a small moment of understanding: I was still going to help Night take him and the rest of the Newsies down. I had to remember that.

I somehow made it down the stairs without falling on my face and turned at the bottom. I casually glanced over and immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw that Jack was talking to Break, who was casually sitting on top of the couch although his legs still touched the floor. He looked like he'd only slept for a few hours given the bags under his eyes and the way his hair stuck out every which direction. I had to hold in a laugh when I looked at him.

I slowly made my way over but Break caught the movement and immediately smiled broadly. Jack also smiled at me although I could see the concern in his eyes. Probably because of how terrible I looked right now.

"Morning beautiful," he said as I stopped in front of the two of them.

I could feel my face heat up again slightly and a smile started to grow on my face.

"How'd you sleep?" Jack asked, and I could tell that he was looking for any signs of me feeling sick.

"Pretty well actually," I replied as brightly as I could.

"Really? Cause you look like hell," Break teased, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.

"Look who's talking," I retorted, but let him continue to play with my hair.

"What are you talking about? I always look well-rested," he said, faking shock.

I just laughed and shook my head, knocking his hand away. Someone called away Jack at that moment so he laid a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me before walking away. I managed to smile back but dropped my act as soon as I was sure he was gone. Break noticed and tried to muffle his laughter so I glared at him which only made him laugh more.

"A little hungover?" he teased.

"My head feels like someone hit me with a hammer about a hundred times," I groaned, dramatically clutching it.

"I've got you something that'll make you feel better," Break said in a sing-song voice.

I immediately perked up at that. The Black Kings occasionally sold drugs and although that was never the area I dealt with Break occasionally was able to get his hands on some stuff. One I particularly liked was something that most people took to get rid of pain or hangovers. It was a small white pill that not only dulled the pain but gave you the feeling like you were almost floating. And right now it was the thing I wanted the most in the world.

"Please tell me you have a Floater," I said, not bothering to suppress my eagerness.

"Right here," he said, pulling a tiny cloth, drawstring bag out of his pocket.

He opened up the bag and poured a single, white pill into his hand. I watched intently as he picked it up between two fingers and pretended to examine it.

"This is the last one I have you know," he commented lightly and I pretended to seem interested.

"Really?" I said, feigning interest.

"Yep. I'm not sure if I should really let you use it then. What if I need it later on?" Break mused.

"Break," I growled, quickly losing the little bit of patience I had.

He laughed and shook his head.

"Don't worry I'll give it to you. I'm not that mean. Do you have any water to take it with?" he asked.

"I don't need water," I said a bit impatiently.

"Really," Break said, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded so Break shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then," he said and held the pill between his fingers, raising it up to my mouth.

I had initially assumed that he was just going to hand me the pill but it was extremely obvious that he was going to just feed it to me instead. Grinning, I carefully took the pill out of his fingers with my teeth, letting my lips lightly graze his fingers as I pulled away. A flash of some emotion went through Break's eyes but it was so fast I didn't catch. The look sent chills down my spine though. Raising an eyebrow at him, I quickly swallowed the pill. I knew it would take a while for the pill to kick in but just by taking it I was already starting to feel better just knowing that it was in my system.

I saw Break's eyes dart off to the right and narrow slightly so I turned and followed his gaze. There, standing at the bottom of the stairs, was Spot. He was staring at us with his usual poker face but there was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite figure out. It was starting to get frustrating actually; normally I was very good at decoding people but that seemed to be going downhill recently.

I cocked my head off to the side, curious as to what he wanted. He didn't say anything, though, and simply turned and walked out the open door.

I turned back to look at Break who seemed somewhat happy which confused me even more. He turned his attention back to me after a moment longer of looking out the door.

"Hopefully that stuff kicks in fast so selling papers isn't hell," Break commented.

"Selling papers is always hell," I snorted.

"You mean you haven't grown attached to it yet?" Break teased.

"Not one bit," I shot back.

Break chuckled and I seized the opportunity to question him.

"Speaking of being attached, going back to a Black King's party makes you seem a little attached to the gang, doesn't it?" I asked pointedly.

Break looked like he hadn't wanted this subject to come up and just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I told you, I was going in there to make sure Jack and the others got out okay," he explained.

"And to talk to someone in a booth," I added on smoothly.

Break looked like he was about to argue so I abruptly cut him off.

"Don't try to deny it. I saw you slip into a booth last night and I know it wasn't just to sit there by yourself and cry about how you weren't invited," I said firmly.

Break glared at me but sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I was talking to someone. End of story," he said bluntly.

"To who? And about what?" I pressed.

"If you're such a good spy," he said, standing up to his full height before bending down so we were face-to-face, "then figure it out on your own"

He slipped past me and I heard his footsteps as he walked across the room and out the door, shutting it behind him. I counted to ten in my head to make sure the annoyance I was feeling was for sure off of my face. I knew he was right but I still wasn't happy about it. I just wish I knew more about what was going on with the Newsies side of things and especially with what Break was doing. He seemed to be my biggest problem at the moment, best friend or not. Sighing, I wished a thousand times over in my head that the drug would hit me faster.

/

Today was without a doubt the best time I'd ever had selling papes. Not only had my hangover pain completely vanished by the time I'd reached my selling spot, but I felt like I was walking on a cloud. I felt…weightless. The headline wasn't that bad either which made selling a breeze today. I briefly contemplated taking a pill every day to make selling better but quickly realized there was no way for me to afford that.

Once I was done selling I started to head back to the Lodging House, feeling like I was floating down the street. I had just turned the corner when I saw Spot leaning against the brick wall about twelve feet in front of me. He looked up when I turned the corner but didn't look surprised at all to see me. I was curious as to what he was doing here: I thought his usual Manhattan selling spot was ten blocks from here with Jack.

"I want to talk," he stated bluntly.

Normally I might have been embarrassed or annoyed but the drug was working its magic and I just didn't care.

"Later," I responded airily, starting to walk past him without a second glance.

He caught my arm though to keep me from walking any further. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"What do you want Spot?" I asked without looking at him.

"What's with the attitude?" he said, a bit sharply.

"I have things to do," I responded cheekily.

"What things? You don't have any papes left," he stated bluntly.

"Just things," I said breezily, still not looking at him.

"Would you look at me?" Spot said, his voice rising slightly.

He jerked my arm so that I was forced to turn and face him. I gave him a completely bored look just to try and tick him off more. Spot opened his mouth to tell me off but stopped abruptly and instead stared intently at me. This confused me although I just shook it off in my dazed state. Instead, I just stood there and waited for him to talk.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Spot finally asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing. Let go of me," I said.

Internally I was cursing out every single living thing I knew. I'd completely forgotten that the pill made the pain go away but also made your pupils grow bigger.

"That's a lie," he hissed at me.

"There's nothing wrong with them. They're exactly the way they should be," I countered.

I tried to pull away from him again but gave up after a second, instead contenting myself with glaring at the brick wall in front of me. A few seconds passed and I was actually surprised that Spot was staying relatively quiet until finally he spoke up.

"Actor..." he said quietly.

"What?" I said sharply, turning to glare at him.

My glare completely died, however, when I saw him standing there pinching my arm.

"You can't even feel me pinching you," he said slowly.

I knew I couldn't deny it anymore so I just shut my mouth and looked at the wall again. I knew that the pill was pretty powerful with suppressing pain but I didn't realize it could be that good. Honestly that scared me a little bit.

"What is going on Actor?" Spot pressed.

"Nothing!" I exclaimed, trying to pull my arm away.

He had a vice grip on my arm though so it was impossible for me to get away.

"Just talk to me Actor. What's wrong?" he asked.

Something in the tone of his voice made me hesitate and bite my lip. It couldn't hurt to admit just a little bit of what was going on to him.

"Nothing's wrong. I just took something to get rid of my hangover pain," I mumbled quietly.

"Something? What do you mean something?" Spot asked.

"Break gave me a pill," I said.

"Break gave you drugs?" Spot said incredulously.

"Yes he did," I admitted, "It's nothing bad"

"You couldn't even feel me pinching you. That's bad," he said firmly.

"I'm fine. It's not the first time I've done it," I shot back.

"You mean you've tried drugs before?" Spot said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes. I have," I said sharply, "If you remember, I was in the Black Kings and they did some stuff with drugs. Occasionally we got some. That's just one of them and it's nice compared to the others"

"You shouldn't be doing drugs," Spot said decisively.

"Don't start lecturing me Conlon. From what I've heard you aren't exactly an angel either," I spat back at him.

"But at least I'm not mixed up in drugs," he countered.

"I'm not mixed up in drugs. I took one pill. That's all," I defended.

"It doesn't matter. Stop doing them," he said.

"You aren't my leader Spot. You aren't anything. I don't have to listen to what you say," I said viciously.

He pulled back slightly at my harsh comment but I didn't feel any pity at the moment. Hell, I didn't feel much of anything. Yanking my arm back, I turned on my heel and stalked away, fuming. Where the hell did he get off telling me what I could and could not do? Just cause we had some kind of moment on a step outside the Lodging House means he can tell me what to do? Hell no.

I was angry the rest of the way back to the Lodging House and was pleased that I didn't run into any other Newsies. I somehow managed to keep myself from slamming the door when I got back but I definitely let myself stomp up the Lodging House stairs. Turning down the hallway at the top of the stairs, I saw Jack emerge from the open door at the other end of the hallway. I quickly tried to adopt a relatively relaxed manner before he looked at me.

"Hi Jack," I called out casually.

"Hey Actor. Do you have a minute to talk?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied, nodding my head.

"Good. I wanted to ask you about what Night told you at the party last night," Jack said.

"I'll be right there," I responded, forcing a smile on my face.

Jack smiled back before disappearing back into the room. I stood still in the hallway for a moment, forcing myself to breathe. I at least knew that Spot wouldn't be in the room at the moment. I would deal with him again later. All of the sudden I felt very tired. It was like everything was starting to catch up to me and I didn't know how to defend myself anymore. I was working myself to death for not only Night but also Jack and I had no one to go and talk to about anything. It was like I was slowly drowning, stranded out in the ocean without anything to cling onto.

I felt powerless. And that was the worst feeling in the world.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N Just as a reply to ****rellimmes' review, I promise that I'm not killing off Actor!**

I walked into the room and saw Jack leaning against a table in the middle and, to my complete surprise, Striker sitting in a chair next to him. I sent a quick nod and a smile towards him, both of which he returned. Sweeping my eyes quickly around the room, I saw that there wasn't much in here in regards to furniture besides the table and three chairs. I also noticed that the window on the other side of the room was open, letting a nice breeze in.

"So," Jack began, "To start off with, who was the guy you ran into at the beginning of the night?"

"That was Holler. He's the second-in-command of the Black Kings," I recited smoothly.

"It looked like you knew him pretty well," Jack commented, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

I tried not to smile at the memory of Holler pretending to flirt with me last night at the party just to tick off the Newsies. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders.

"We were pretty good friends when I was still in the Black Kings. He was just drunk and happy to see me again last night," I answered.

"I see. And what about those people in the booth you stopped by the first time?" he asked.

"Honestly I don't really know. I only recognized one of them," I replied truthfully.

"Alright. And what did you and Holler talk about at the bar?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not to get off topic or anything but did you stalk me in there?" I asked.

"We just wanted to make sure you were safe," he answered.

I gave him a calculated look before accepting his answer. I was about to open my mouth and answer when a movement in the back of the room caught my attention. Focusing on there, I saw Spot Conlon himself climbing in through the open window. Jack and Striker followed my gaze and saw Spot there as well, immediately calling out greetings. He returned them with a curt nod and I could instantly tell that he was angry from our previous meeting. I quickly looked down at the table before our eyes could meet: I didn't want to know what I would see in his.

Instead, I waited for his footsteps to cross the room and the sound of him sitting down in one of the chairs before I brought my gaze up again to look at Jack and Striker.

"Actor was just filling us in on what happened last night. So far all we've gotten is that the first guy she ran into was the second-in-command Holler and that she didn't know anyone in that first booth. She was about to tell us what her and Holler were talking about at the bar," Jack explained.

I saw Spot move his head out of the corner of my eye in what I assume was a nod so I took that as my cue to go ahead. I racked my head trying to remember what Holler and I had talked about and what I could actually let Jack and the others know.

"Well Holler started off asking what I'd been doing since I left," I started to say.

"Did you tell him you're a Newsie?" Jack interrupted.

"Yeah I did," I answered.

"And how did he take that?" Spot spoke up.

I forced myself to look over at Spot and answer.

"He was fine with it"

I immediately regretted my decision to look over and quickly turned my gaze back towards Jack and Striker. I had seen the anger and pain in Spot's eyes. I was starting to feel guilty about what I'd said to him earlier and resolved to talk to him after this.

"He asked me how I liked it and I said it was okay. I asked him how everything was going with him and he just said he was busy but that's about it. He also told me to try and stay away from everything because he didn't want me to get hurt. I told him that there's nowhere in Manhattan where I'm completely safe," I said.

"Except in the Lodging House with us," Jack interrupted.

I paused for a quick second before picking up where I'd left off. I didn't have to say anything for Jack to get the message: I knew that even the Lodging House was fair game in this war with the Black Kings.

"Holler also mentioned that the Black Kings have completely left Brooklyn," I said, glancing at Spot almost as a reflex.

"I noticed," he said curtly.

"I didn't even know they were in Brooklyn," Jack muttered.

"According to the gangs in the area, Brooklyn is considered neutral territory. Thanks to Spot, it's too hard for any of them to have complete control over the area. Black Kings only had small parts of it at best," I explained.

That seemed to please Spot a bit which made me internally cheer. The better his mood was, the easier it would be to talk to him later on.

"And what did Night say?" Striker asked, clearly interested in getting to the good part.

I took a deep breath and recited exactly what Night had told me to say.

"When I got there he was talking with his two generals, Steel and Trap. They were all debating on what plans to make for attacking. They couldn't seem to decide on anything which was obviously frustrating them. Finally they agreed on decreasing attacks on the streets because they didn't have the manpower. Other than that they didn't really say much,"

"And Night just let you sit in on his war meeting?" Striker asked

"Night always valued my opinion. I could give him an outside view to a situation that his generals wouldn't think of suggesting," I replied calmly.

"Looks like he had a bit of a crush on you also," Jack commented, studying me carefully.

"Not really. Night was always really…possessive," I answered slowly.

I let the information sink in a bit before pretending to just remember something.

"Oh and Night also mentioned that they were planning something big," I said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, clearly confused.

"Night just turned to me after his generals had left and said that he was planning something big. He wouldn't tell me what though, just that it would hit the Newsies right here," I said, tapping the spot just above my heart like Night had done last night.

"What does that mean?" Striker questioned.

"I have absolutely no idea," I replied truthfully, shrugging my shoulders.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments, absorbing everything that they'd been told. I could practically hear the wheels turning in their heads as they all thought about how they would fight back against Night's plans. I stood there silently as well, watching the breeze play with the curtains on the window of the other side of the room. Finally, Jack spoke up.

"Thanks for that Actor. You did a good job," he said, standing up and walking over to me.

I smiled at him and he patted me on the back before walking out the door. Striker followed him, giving me a nod of approval before disappearing through the door as well. I watched him walk out before turning back to face the room, intent on talking to Spot. Instead, I saw him already walking across the room towards the window, his back to me.

"Spot," I called out.

He didn't even falter as he continued on until he reached the window.

"Spot," I called out again, starting across the room after him.

Again, he didn't pause at all and started to climb out the window.

"Please Spot. I want to talk to you," I said pleadingly.

He didn't respond and I saw him turn and climb up onto the roof without ever looking at me. I sighed in frustration and climbed out the window after him. I hoisted myself up on the roof, somewhat clumsily, and stood up to see Spot standing in the middle of the roof, his back still to me. I hesitantly took a few steps towards him but stopped abruptly when he spoke up.

"Now you want to talk?" he asked icily.

I winced when I heard his voice but honestly, I deserved that.

"I do. I wanted to talk about what happened earlier," I began unsteadily.

Spot didn't respond so I took that as my cue to go on.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly.

I hesitated for a moment after I let that out, unsure of how to continue.

"I…I shouldn't have said some of those things. I admit it, I was completely out of line. You're not nothing to me Spot. You do mean something. I mean, you are something. You're a leader. Brooklyn's leader but I should still respect you cause you're a leader. So therefore you do mean something. Even to me though I'm not Brooklyn," I rambled.

"I just…I don't even know what I'm saying," I finally gave up and put my face in my hands.

I heard footsteps approaching and looked up in surprise to see Spot standing only a few feet away, a serious look on his face. He slowly reached out and grabbed my hand. I let him do so, too surprised to really protest.

"Promise me you won't do drugs again, no matter how bad your hangover is?" he asked, staring intently at me.

I met his gaze confidently and replied,

"I promise Spot"

He smiled slightly when I said that and squeezed my hand. I smiled back at him, glad we had worked things out. A silence fell over us and it took me a few seconds to realize that we were still holding hands. I quickly but gently withdrew mine and turned around to go before Spot could see the blush creeping up on my cheeks. Once I reached the edge of the roof and I was satisfied my cheeks had cooled off, I turned around to look at him again.

"I'll see you around Brooklyn," I called out, grinning at him.

He smirked back at me and tipped his hat which made me laugh. Jumping off the roof, I quickly climbed back into the Lodging House and headed through the room to the other side. At least Brooklyn was back on my side now. I left the room and headed down the hallway to the girls room, intent on finally brushing my hair today. Opening the door, I walked over to my bed, noticing that the window in this room was also open. I couldn't help but think that that wasn't the smartest idea when there was a war going on.

I lay down on my bed for a second with my eyes closed, enjoying the peace and quiet. Opening my eyes, I noticed a small white thing sticking out between one of the boards above my head. Reaching up, I pulled it out and saw that it was a note. I turned it over in my fingers, trying to see if there were any markings indicating who it was from. I couldn't find anything so I opened it up and read the familiar writing on the inside.

"We need to talk. Meet me at the ring at midnight"

I knew immediately who it was from: Night. I also noticed a small but deliberate circle at the bottom left corner of the note. It almost looked natural but I'd seen it enough on notes before to know what it meant. Night wanted the Newsies to follow me there. He wanted them to hear this conversation. That meant that tonight would be a performance. Internally I wondered why Night wanted to see me again so soon but I shrugged it off. He had his reasons.

Sighing, I sat up and ran a hand through my messy hair. Brushing it would have to wait. Jack and the others would need to know about this.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N PLEASE READ THIS! Sorry this has been a while, I had so many papers and tests that I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to make it out alive. But luckily I did and I have an update for everyone! To make it up to you guys for taking so long I tried to make this one pretty long. Hope you all like it! Also, since it has been a while here's a quick recap: Actor just got back on good terms with Spot after telling him, Jack, and Striker about what she had learned from going to the Black Kings party. But she just received a note from Night telling her that he wanted to meet with her later that night. The catch is that Night wants Jack and the others to listen in on their "meeting", for reasons that will be discussed later on in this chapter.**

As I made my way across the city later that night, I couldn't help but think about Jack, Spot, and Break who were tailing me. I had told them about the note from Night almost immediately after I'd gotten it. Of course, that was also after I had carefully ripped off the bottom part of the note where the dot had been. I wasn't sure if Break knew what it meant or not but I really didn't want to take any chances and have him realize that the meeting that was about to happen was entirely staged. Jack was of course worried about my safety but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to listen in directly on a conversation involving Night. Spot hadn't really said anything; it was pretty much assumed that he would be going along on this mission.

I tried to seem casual yet still have the swift movements of a "former" Black King. I didn't want the nervousness I was feeling to show in my walk but it was difficult. I felt more awkward walking there than I ever had in the past ten years.

Finally, I recognized the alley that would take me to the meeting spot Night had told me to go to. Not bothering to glance back at Jack, Spot, and Break who I knew were following, I ducked into its darkness. The alley was pitch black but I swiftly made my way through it, training my eyes on the small bit of light on the other end. I reached the other end fairly quickly and found myself surrounded completely by brick walls with only one other opening to another alley twenty feet away. It was also pitch black and I knew that was where Night would be coming from.

I walked a few steps to my right and leaned back against the brick wall, training my eyes on the ground so I wouldn't strain them trying to see into the pitch black space in front of me. Instead, I concentrated on listening to try and figure out where Jack and the others were as well as whether or not Night was here yet. I couldn't hear anything which made me wonder where exactly Jack and the others were listening in from. Honestly, it didn't matter really. What mattered was whether or not Jack and Spot and Break were convinced by the "performance" Night and I were about to put on.

I don't know how long I was standing there for but I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps echoing in the alley in front of me. I didn't look up but instead strained my ears to try and hear anything else.

"Glad you could make it," a voice said suddenly.

I finally looked up and peered into the dark alley in front of me. Slowly, Night melted out of the shadows in a way that still sent shivers up my spine.

"Wouldn't miss it," I replied smoothly, dipping my head slightly as a sign of respect.

Night didn't say anything and instead stared at me intently, making me fidget slightly.

"How's life as a Newsie going?" he asked suddenly.

"It's ok. Not very fun but it pays," I replied carefully, wondering where this was going.

"I see," Night said, staring off into space.

I took the chance to examine him closely. He was acting very oddly and I didn't know why.

"Jack giving you any problems?" he asked casually.

"No he's fine," I said slowly.

"Spot too?"

"Him too," I replied in agreement.

I was about to ask him if anything was wrong when a slight breeze picked up and I caught a hint of alcohol. Was he drunk? That would explain his really odd behavior at the moment. But why in the hell would he drink before something important like this?

Then a thought hit me. What if he had done this on purpose? What if he hadn't drunk anything but made it smell like he did so I would ask him about it? He probably still wanted to put on a performance for the Newsies. And if he was "drunk" that would be just the right amount of drama for the Newsies to think he was losing it and lull them into a false sense of security. Which, I realized, would also be enough to convince Break who was also watching that this conversation was "real". I'd almost forgotten that it'd be even harder to fool him since he knew that I was a spy. He would be interpreting this conversation much differently than Jack or Spot.

"Have you been drinking?" I asked suddenly, faking uncertainty.

"A little. So what?" Night challenged, finally focusing his attention back on me.

"You shouldn't be drinking. You have people to lead. For Christ's sake you're at war Night!" I argued back.

"I needed a break," Night snarled.

I sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"What do you care anyway?" Night said accusingly, "You aren't even a Black King anymore. You've changed. You're a Newsies now"

I looked at him in fake confusion and shock.

"I haven't changed that much!" I protested.

"Look at you, you're a Newsie now. Ink all over your hands and that stupid cap on your head. I'm surprised you don't have suspenders. You've lost all of the pride the Black Kings gave you," Night said critically.

"It's just an act Night. I don't really fit in with them. I never have and I never will," I said, finishing softly.

I lowered my gaze, trying to seem repentant. Hopefully to the Newsies it looked like I was trying to appease Night and keep him from getting angry. Obviously Night had other plans because suddenly his hand slammed into the wall next to my head, making me jump and look up at him in surprise. The raw anger I saw in his eyes froze me in place, making me unable to move or do anything.

"That's because you belong to me still," Night growled possessively.

I said nothing, trying hard to keep from trembling.

'_It's just an act, it's just an act_' I repeated frantically, over and over again in my head.

Night grabbed my chin and lifted my head up, studying me intently. I struggled to maintain what little composure I had left as I met his gaze.

"If I tell you that you still work for me, then you still work for me. I don't care that you live in a Lodging House, or that your hands have nasty ink stains now, or that you have to talk to those dirty Newsies. You're still a Black King,"

"Of course. You know me though. I can act my way through any part," I replied shakily, trying to smile.

"Then you'll help me? Tell me where Break is," Night asked abruptly.

"I don't know where he is Night," I responded slowly.

"You mean you won't help me. After everything that I did for you?" Night said incredulously.

"I helped you out when you first came to the Black Kings. You were practically nothing. You had nothing. No family, no home. Everyone else abandoned you," Night continued, his voice growing steadily louder.

Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes and I tried to will them away. I knew Night was acting but his words still hit home. No one cared about me. My father didn't know me because he was in jail. My mother and I hadn't talked even once since I "joined" the Newsies. Jack still hadn't told me he was my brother yet even though I already knew all about it.

"Your father's in jail until who knows when and your mother works for some hoity-toity family on the north side. We're your family. You help us because we helped you. Otherwise you'd be dead on the street or off working in one of those whore houses. That's how the streets work. You know that better than anyone else," Night continued bitterly.

"I know that. But I don't know where Break is. I've told you all I know about that," I defended myself.

"Bull. He's around here somewhere. And when I get my hands on him…" Night trailed off but the threat was clearly hanging in the air.

"I'll tell you anything about it when I hear it. Other than that I've got nothing for you," I said steadily, wanting to wipe the tears off my face.

Night stayed quiet for a while, studying me calmly.

"You were always too good for all of this," Night sighed, looking down for a moment.

I didn't move or say anything, still slightly shaking in his grasp. When he finally looked back up again, I could see the pain in his eyes. I wasn't sure if he was still acting or if was finally letting out how he really felt inside.

"Just… don't you dare help out those Newsies," Night pleaded, looking at me with such sadness in his eyes I felt like my heart was breaking in two.

I couldn't feel it anymore but I knew that the tears were streaming down my face now. I wanted so badly right now to protect the Black Kings and help them to survive. Screw the Newsies. Screw Jack and Spot and the rest of them. I was a Black King still at heart. Night needed me and I had to help him out in any way that I could. I at least owed him that much.

"I promise I won't," I said as steadily as I could.

Even though Night and I knew that it was technically the truth, the Newsies all thought I was lying to Night right now. And to be honest, it felt like it too. It hurt my chest to say those words because I felt like I was being weighed down with guilt. I would never help the Newsies on purpose but if I couldn't do enough to support the Black Kings, wasn't it almost like I was helping the enemy?

"Good." Night said, finally taking his hand off the wall and turning around, "Now get out of here"

I didn't hesitate and quickly walked away, darting down the alleyway I'd come in from. I roughly wiped away the tears that still ran down my face and forced back the others that started filling my eyes again. Break had actually taught me a trick a while ago to help keep from crying. You had to shut down all of your thoughts that were making you sad and focus on something completely random. Right now I was focusing solely on the darkness around me. I would let my eyes become unfocused and let the darkness creep in until it almost overtook my vision. The darkness comforted me and let me forget on all my problems, at least temporarily. I did this until I was out of the alley and immediately started heading off towards the Lodging House.

I had completely forgotten that Jack and the others were behind me until I heard my name called out. I tensed up, hesitant to speak with them. The last thing I wanted to do right now was talk but I forced myself to stay still as their footsteps approached. They all halted a few feet away from me but no one said anything immediately, probably put off by the fact that I hadn't turned around to face them like had they expected me to.

"Are you okay?" Jack finally asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," I replied shortly.

"Are you sure?" he said and I heard him take a step forward.

"Of course I'm sure," I snapped at him, halting his advance.

All I wanted right now was to stop talking and get back to the Lodging House so I cut off Break mid-sentence. I hadn't even been paying attention to what he had been saying so I didn't really care if it was rude or not.

"I'm going back to the Lodging House now. I want to get some sleep," I said coolly before walking away at a fast pace.

There were no shouts or anything to try and stop me so I kept up my face pace until I turned the corner and then started sprinting. I needed to get back to the Lodging House and now. I could feel my emotions starting to swell up inside me again and the last thing I wanted to do was to break down in the middle of a street. So I sprinted as fast as I could and didn't stop until I reached the house.

Flinging open the door and shutting it somewhat softly, I quickly ran up the stairs as quietly as I could. My breathing increased as I started to lose the last bit of control I had over my emotions. Speeding down the hall, I went right past the girls' bunkroom and instead opened the door to the room where the meeting had been earlier today. Just as I had expected, it was completely empty except for the table and chairs. My vision started to blur with tears as I raced across the room, no longer caring about being quiet. I threw open the window and quickly climbed out before jumping onto the roof. I somehow managed to stumble forwards until I was in the middle of the roof.

Alone on the roof, breathing hard, I finally fell to the ground and brought my knees to my chest. Suddenly, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears poured down my face once again and I pressed my face into my knees, trying to muffle my sobs. I couldn't rationalize why I was this upset but the tears wouldn't stop as images ran through my head of Mom and Dad and Jack and the Black Kings and the Newsies. Everything was getting to be too much. It felt like everything that I'd kept inside for the past few weeks was finally pouring out all at once.

I continued sobbing as quietly as I could until I heard the distinct clatter of boots on the fire escape outside. It only sounded like one person but it was enough to get me to pull it together. I quickly wiped off my face and managed to stand up, although my legs were trembling. I stayed stock still while listening to the sounds of someone climbing onto the roof and slowly walking over to me. I refused to turn around, however, because I didn't want to let whoever was there know that I had been crying again.

"How are you doing?" a voice said suddenly and I instantly recognized it as Spot's.

I didn't know whether to be touched or annoyed that he was here.

"I'm fine," I said, choking on my words a bit.

"You don't seem like it," he said quietly.

"Well I am," I said a bit more strongly, although I sniffled near the end.

Spot stayed silent for a moment, studying me.

"Night was pretty harsh back there," Spot observed.

"That's how he is," I replied bluntly.

I looked off across the rooftops of the city, not wanting to turn around and look at Spot for fear that I'd break out crying again. My vision started to blur with tears again but I looked up at the starts and blinked them away.

"You're still shaking," Spot said quietly and I felt his hand gently touch mine.

I flinched away at his touch and took a step forward.

"I'm fine. I don't need anyone to comfort me, especially not you," I replied harshly.

I started to walk away so he wouldn't see the tears start to stream down my face again. Although I wanted to stay out on this roof longer, Spot's presence made that impossible.

Suddenly, a hand enclosed around my wrist in a strong grip and yanked me backwards. Before I could register what was happening, I found my face pressed into the front of Spot's shirt with his arms wrapped protectively around me. I couldn't hold myself together anymore for the second time. I started sobbing into his chest, letting out all of my emotions. I was angry and depressed all at the same time and it was getting to be too much. But in Spot's arms, I felt…safe. I gripped Spot's shirt tightly, not wanting to lose this feeling.

I was enjoying this sensation when suddenly I felt Spot pull back. Admittedly I didn't want to let go but Spot probably didn't want some girl sobbing into his shirt all night. Suddenly, however, a new sensation replaced the old one. I froze in surprise at the feeling of his lips on mine. It happened so fast that my brain was having trouble catching up to what was happening. I didn't know what to do and instead stood there, unable to move. And possibly unwilling to move. I never would've said this aloud, but Spot's lips were soft and felt nice on mine. I'd kissed boys before but apparently Brooklyn boys knew some kind of trick because it'd never felt like this before.

Spot slowly withdrew to look at me. I couldn't do anything other than stand there in shock and blink when he moved in to kiss me again, this time deepening the kiss. I couldn't tell if I was moving my mouth or if Spot was moving it for me. Still, it reminded me of that moment we'd had outside the Lodging House on the step where it seemed like everything had ceased to exist. There was just the two of us lost in an insignificant speck of time that would forever be ingrained in our minds as eternity, even while the rest of the world dismissed it as seconds passing by.

Suddenly, my brain started to work at its normal pace again and I fully realized what was happening. I was kissing Spot Conlon. Or he was kissing me. Or both. Either way, this couldn't happen.

I pushed him away, breathing hard. We stared at each other for a long time. I could tell my cheeks were stained pink and Spot even looked like he was breathing a bit heavier. I couldn't read the complicated emotions that flew through his eyes but I prayed he couldn't see the mix of confusion, want, and regret in mine. We didn't speak for what seemed like forever until I finally pried my mouth open and said the two words I knew I was expected to say.

"I can't," I said weakly.

And with that, I turned and ran to the edge of the roof, down the fire escape, and into my bed where I continued to quietly cry, trying to convince myself that the pain in my chest was just from crying too much.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N LONGEST CHAPTER YET. You know, to make up for the fact I haven't updated in a little while….Seriously I feel terrible about that but like I said before, college life can be really busy. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soonish but I'm not going to make any promises. ENJOY!**

I woke up the next morning completely disoriented. As the Lodging House came into focus, so did the events of last night. I'd always hated mornings and now I remembered why: when morning came all of the things you were trying to forget came flooding back to you. You remember that the problems still exist and that you still have to deal with them. At least at night nothing was clear and it was easy to fall into a sleep where you could forget everything or even just lose yourself in the darkness. Right now I craved that darkness more than anything else.

I sat up slowly, feeling the weight of everything that had happened still pushing down on me. I really wanted to just give up on today but I told myself that I couldn't. Not with Night and everyone else counting on me.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and started to get ready for the day. I was definitely unusually quiet as I went through my morning routine but I tried to move quickly and quietly so that no one would even know that I was there. Since I was slow, however, I was the last one out of the girls' bunkroom and definitely one of the last people left on the top floor. I made my way slowly down the hallway but paused at the top of the stairs when I heard voices below. Immediately I recognized them as Jack and a bunch of the girls.

"Why won't you just answer the question?" Match asked, clearly sounding frustrated.

"It's not important alright? She's fine," Jack responded.

"Like hell she is. Something happened to Actor and you guys know what it is," Tear argued.

"It's nothing," I heard Race counter quickly.

I stiffened slightly when I heard Spot's voice chime in.

"Don't worry about it," he said confidently.

"Bull," Match argued.

"We're telling the truth!" Race protested.

"Look, we know that Actor used to be a part of the Black Kings," Rose cut in.

A cold chill ran through my body as I processed what she had just said. They knew. Wait, they knew? They KNEW? At that moment, I wouldn't have been able to move even if I wanted to. Someone could've been standing in front of me threatening me with a knife and I still wouldn't have been able to run away. I was frozen solid to the ground.

A thousand questions ran through my head all at once. How did they find out? When? And more importantly, what else did they know? Luckily, Jack's words mirrored my thoughts.

"Wait, what?" he said incredulously.

"We overheard most of her conversation with Spot, the one where she basically told him her whole life story. You and Race were sitting on the fire escape listening also," Match explained simply.

"How could you listen in?" Race asked, sounding equally as shocked as Jack.

"Actor left the window open when she went to meet Spot on the roof! We heard everything through that," Glasses piped up.

I was completely shocked but the more I thought it over, the more it made sense. The Lodging House really wasn't that big or that private. Any of them could've accidentally overheard a conversation I was having with someone about my oh-so-fantastic past whether I was on the roof or in one of the rooms. And once they heard that conversation, they definitely would be on the lookout for any suspicious activity from me. How many times had I snuck off thinking no one saw me when in reality there were five or so girls watching me leave?

"So we know all about her past. Which is why we want you to tell us why she came in crying last night," Rose pressed.

Dead silence came from the room and I could imagine Jack, Spot, and Race all exchanging looks and trying to decide whether or not it was a good idea to tell the girls or not. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"She got a note yesterday from Night asking her to meet him last night," Jack explained.

"And you let her go?" Firelight asked, sounding shocked.

"Alone?" Tear questioned angrily.

"No not alone," Spot corrected quickly, "Jack, Break, and I went along with her. We just hid out of sight most of the time"

"Well, what happened? Cause Actor seemed really upset," Tear said.

"Night…showed up drunk," Jack explained hesitantly, "We didn't realize it at first but Actor saw it right away. He basically pushed her against the wall and yelled at her, saying that she was still his. It definitely shook her up,"

"And you let him do that to her?" Rose questioned.

"Actor can handle herself," Spot replied firmly, "But if he had tried to hit her, we would've jumped in and gotten her out of there"

Match made a noise of disapproval but didn't say anything else. There was a brief period of silence, probably because the girls were absorbing the new information.

"Anything else you girls wanted to know?" Jack asked.

"That's it for right now. All we want to do is keep an eye on Actor and keep her safe. The last thing we want is Night or some other Black King trying to force her back to their stupid gang," Rose said calmly.

The other girls made noises of agreement and I heard their footsteps head across the room as well as the opening and closing of the front door, signaling that they had left. I was still rooted to my spot just above the stairs though. The boys were chatting again but for some reason I couldn't focus on the words they were saying; it all sounded like a distant buzzing in my ears.

I felt completely and utterly exposed. And for the first time in a long time, I felt scared on a spy mission. Sure I'd always been cautious or even a bit nervous on a spy mission. But rarely was I ever scared. This time I was. I was actually terrified that they were all going to find out my big secret. That they would finally sift through all of my lies and figure out that I'd been a Black King all along. If that happened, the Black Kings lost all hope of survival. Sure we were fighting against the odds now but without some sort of ear on the inside, we would be gone. Completely wiped out of New York.

I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself but the ice cold feeling remained in my veins and my hands were shaking slightly. I perked up, however, as my ears caught the words "Street Sharks".

"We're meeting with them tomorrow night, right?" Race asked.

"Yeah. Break hasn't told us the meeting place yet but it'll be at midnight," Jack answered.

"What will it be about?" Spot asked.

"Upcoming plans and stuff. How the Black Kings are doing and what we think their next moves will be," Jack explained.

The boys switched topics after that but I didn't bother to pay attention. Instead, I played that information again and again in my head. A meeting. Tomorrow. With the Street Sharks. At midnight. I had to be there. Especially with everything in the Lodging House that was going on. This could be one of my last chances to get a lot of information to give back to Night. I couldn't fail him.

With my resolve strengthened, I slowly walked down the stairs, pretending to be lost in thought so they wouldn't think that I'd been eavesdropping at this point. Or maybe they would realize. Who knows, at this point they could have everything figured out and I could be the one completely in the dark. About halfway down the stairs I heard their talking cease so I knew that they had noticed me. I could feel their stares too and decided to look up right when I was turning the corner on the stairs. I pretended to snap out of my thoughts and looked at them in mild shock before composing myself. I carefully avoided glancing at Spot for fear of how I would react to seeing him.

"Actor, I wanted to talk to you about something," Jack started to say.

"Later," I cut him off abruptly and quickly made my way to the door.

"Actor," Jack tried to say but again I cut him off.

"I said later," I interrupted harshly, not even looking back at him as I slammed the Lodging House door behind me.

I didn't want to take the risk of them catching up to me so I quickly sprinted to the closest alley and darted down it to the next street over. I continued to sprint through the early morning people, taking as many routes as I could that took me through less-traveled streets so that I knew I wouldn't accidentally run into any Newsie stragglers.

I managed to be one of the last people in line but I still beat Jack, Spot, and Race. Running had put me in a slightly better mood so I was able to keep up a casual conversation with two older boys in the back of the line with me. One of the boys was in the middle of telling a joke when I happened to glance over at the others and saw Match and Rose whispering something to Boots and Crutchy, the four of them occasionally looking over at me with concerned faces. I could only guess that they were discussing my recent breakdown which completely destroyed my mood. I tried to turn back and get back into the conversation but by that time I'd missed half of the joke and I was so distracted I could only manage to force a smile while the others laughed. It occurred to me that this would only increase the suspicions of the people who thought I was already depressed and the thought made the last bit of a smile get wiped off my face.

I had just made it to the front of the line when I heard people call out greetings to Jack, Spot, and Race, who apparently had finally made it here. I didn't turn around, however, and instead concentrated on buying my papes, trying to go fast in case Jack and the others got in line behind me and tried to talk to me again.

When I turned around, however, I saw the three of them standing there talking to a group of Newsies with papes already in their hands. Of course people had already bought their papes for them. Stupid perks to being a leader.

My eyes scanned the surrounding area for the perfect escape route but unfortunately since I was one of the later people to get my papes everyone else had already started heading out to their usual selling spots. There were only a few stragglers left and the three boys standing by the entrance. Even with my skills there was no way to get out completely unnoticed. Taking a deep breath, I started to stride confidently and quickly over towards the gate, keeping my eyes locked on the air in front of me so I wouldn't accidentally make awkward eye contact with one of the guys.

"Actor!" Jack called out.

I spared him a sideways glance before replying, without ever slowing down my pace.

"I said we could talk later Jack,"

I managed to get past him before he could reach out and grab me. I almost smiled at my success when I heard Jack say,

"Race look after her today,"

I heard Race practically running to catch up to me but again I didn't slow down at all. He finally caught up to me, breathing slightly heavier.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Race asked, clearly concerned.

"Positive," I responded flatly, trying to speed up.

Today was going to suck.

/

By the time I was finished selling, it seemed like everyone knew about me breaking down into tears last night. No one knew why exactly, except for Jack, Spot, Race, and the girls but they all acted like they had to walk on eggshells around me or coddle me. Any Newsie groups that passed by Race and I selling gave me looks of pity or asked how I was doing, to which I promptly responded that I was fine, complete with a fake smile. And the more they did that, the angrier I got.

Selling with Race had been hard enough but the walk back home was even worse. Race kept on talking the entire time trying to think up funny stories or good things that had happened today to try and make me happier. I humored him by giving the occasional smile or laugh but it was starting to bug me. I couldn't get a word in otherwise because he was talking so much but he took my silence to mean that I was still depressed, a fact I overheard when Blink and Mush joined us in walking to Tibby's and Race fell back to talk to Blink. As if that weren't enough, Mush basically repeated the same exact thing Race had done and nearly made me deaf in one ear from all his chatting.

By the time we reached the restaurant I was mere seconds away from punching him in the face. I walked ahead into the restaurant, desperate to get away from the three of them. Instead of finding a sanctuary, however, I was greeted with dozens of looks of concern or pity. I pretended to not notice them and casually walked over to sit down with the other girls in a booth. They were immediately very welcoming and I hated all of the attention. I sat there listening to their energetic conversation and occasionally making comments but on the inside I was dying. All I wanted to do was get out of there and go somewhere, anywhere. I managed to make it all the way through dinner without wringing someone's neck but I knew I wouldn't last a night of sitting with these people in a cramped room. I resolved to sneak away and go someplace where none of them would ever be able to find me, at least for tonight.

My chance came when we were all walking back to the Lodging House in a large group. I had started out close to the front talking to people and trying to be cheerful. However, I kept on managing to find an excuse to move back to the people behind me to talk to them instead, gradually moving towards the very back of the group. Finally I was in the last row of people, which happened to be Blink, Boots, Mush, and Race. I was on the very edge of the group, having made up the excuse I wanted to talk to Race, and was currently listening to Blink tell a very animated story. Luckily none of them was paying much attention to me, satisfied that I was fully engaged in the story. When we were about a block and a half away from the Lodging House I took a chance and slipped quietly into the alley on my right without any of the boys noticing. I quickly sprinted to the other end of it and started heading towards the sketchiest yet busiest run-down street I could think of in lower Manhattan. None of the Newsies would think to look here or even have the guts to come down here and I could easily get lost in all of the crowds.

When I reached the street, I had to suppress a smile at the sight of it. The street was bustling with people and the air was heavy with the smell of alcohol and smoke. There were bums and prostitutes and thieves and such everywhere. Even a couple of crooked bulls were there too, enjoying the girls and alcohol. It was loud and it was perfect.

I made my way to the most deserted bar on the street. It was the only one without bright lights streaming from it as well as shouts from people making drunken fools out of themselves. It was a small thing that somehow was still in business, probably cause the city never wanted to come here and shut it down.

I slowly opened the door and it squeaked, much to my annoyance. Looking around, I saw that there was only the bartender and two drunks in here, one of which was passed out in the corner booth. Content with the privacy, I silently made my way over to the bar where the bartender was cleaning out some glasses.

"What would you like?" he asked as I sat down on one of the rickety barstools.

"Shot of whisky," I replied, pulling a coin out of my pocket and laying it down on the counter.

I'd been able to save up some money from selling papes and I figured this was the best way to use it. It's not like I was going to buy a dress or something stupid.

"Here you go," the bartender said, pouring a shot from a sketchy-looking bottle without a label and handing it to me.

"Cheers," I said, holding up the glass before tipping it back.

The liquid burned my throat as it went down and I resisted the urge to cough. Instead, I slid the glass back over to the bartender.

"Another," I said.

/

Five shots later, I was definitely starting to feel the alcohol. I slapped some more coins down on the bar, no longer caring that I wouldn't be able to stay in the Lodging House tonight. As if I even wanted to be there anyway. To hell with gathering information tonight. Besides, the important meeting was going on tomorrow.

Picking up the beer I'd just ordered, I managed to stumble over to a booth and promptly laid down on one of the seats, not even bothering to sit up. The alcohol was making my vision blur slightly but I didn't mind in the least. I let myself slowly give in to the cloudiness, forgetting everything from today. Instead, I mentally traced the cracks in the ceiling, vaguely wondering if the ceiling was going to collapse on me. I almost wished it would. At least then I could cleanly get out of this whole mess.

I don't know how much time had passed when I vaguely heard the door open and stay open for a fairly long time before closing again. It occurred to me that this probably meant that a group of people had just walked in but I didn't care. They probably weren't important anyway.

I waited for the sound of footsteps and was slightly unnerved when I didn't hear any. I was about to sit up and see who the newcomers were when I suddenly felt a hand grab the front of my shirt and yank me to my feet. Somehow my hat stayed and I kept my head down, shielding my face.

"Well what do you know? A little Newsie wanted to get drunk tonight. Just our luck boys," a familiar voice said.

I hid a smirk as I recognized the voice.

"Really Hammer? You don't recognize me?" I said mockingly, raising my head to look at him.

(**A/N Hammer is from Chapter 32. He was one of the Black Kings that Actor/Eclipse ran into when she wanted to give a note to Night and ended up giving to them instead**)

Hammer's eyes flashed in surprise as he took in my face before he laughed out loud.

"I'll be damned. What are you doing in a sorry place like this Eclipse?" he asked.

"Taking a much deserved break," I declared solemnly.

"I can see that," Hammer said, glancing down at the beer bottle on the table.

"The Newsies are all bastards," I said, fighting not to slur my words, "If you had to live with them, you'd drink yourself under the table too"

"Probably. But I'm not stuck with that job. You are," Hammer replied, smirking.

"Lucky me," I mumbled.

Rapture laughed and let go of my shirt. I immediately dropped down onto the booth and sat there a moment, willing to make the room stop spinning. Pushing through the nausea, I stood up fully and calmly smoothed out the wrinkled part of my shirt, trying to seem as sober as possible. Looking back up at Hammer and the others, I could see they knew I was at least a little bit drunk but I didn't care. They had to know how stressful this whole thing was, especially for me.

"Well we'll see you around Eclipse. Keep up the good work," Hammer said, clapping me on the shoulder.

I nodded at him as well as the others, who also nodded back at me. I watched them walk out and waited for the door to slam before letting myself collapse back down into the booth. I let my head hang down around my knees, trying to get myself together. Their appearance had effectively killed the easy-going, drunkenness I had succeeded in finally achieving. Now my bad mood came back as I remembered everything terrible that had happened today. Groaning, I ran my fingers across my face and looked up at the rest of the bar. There was no one else in here except for a passed-out drunk in the corner and the bartender, who was currently cleaning a glass and staring at me. My gaze hardened as I met his and he immediately looked down at his glass. Slowly standing up, I carefully made my way over to the bar. When I was standing right in front of the bartender I casually laid a few more coins on the bar to pay for the last of my drinks plus a small tip.

"Thanks for the service," I said, turning around and starting to walk away.

I pretended to remember something important after I'd only gotten a few steps.

"Oh yeah," I said, slowly pivoting around.

I swiftly moved over to the bar before the bartender could even realize what was going on and grabbed his collar, slamming his head into the top of the bar.

"If you tell anyone what happened here or that we were even here, well…" I said, pulling out my pocketknife and flipping it open.

"You and this whole place will pay for it very, very dearly," I threatened, holding the knife against his cheek just enough that it drew a small line of blood.

Then I pulled the knife away and wiped it off on his shirt before letting him go. He stumbled backwards and hit the counter behind him, knocking off a few glass in the process and making them shatter on the floor. I swiftly turned on my heel and sauntered over to the door, sparing a quick glance at the drunk still passed out in the corner. For some reason he gave me a bad feeling so I made sure to pull my hat down more and use my arm to block my face as I walked by him and out the door.

Once I was out the door I glanced around me quickly to see if I recognized any of the stragglers on the street but they were all the usual bums out and about. I slipped into the shadows of the sidewalk and started heading towards who knows where. I couldn't go back to the Lodging House tonight since I was drunk and couldn't afford the lodging. Instead, I figured I could sleep in some pew in a church or even in a park until daylight. Explaining this one to Jack and the others would be trouble though…

I was lost in my thoughts, still traveling in the shadows, when an arm grabbed me from behind. I immediately felt a small stab of panic, thinking it was a mugger or bull or, even worse, a Street Shark. The arm yanked me around and I readied myself to punch the person, bracing for some sort of attack. What I wasn't ready for, however, was the familiar face in front of me.

"Break?" I asked incredulously.

"What are you doing out here this late?" he asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

'_Damn it_' was all I could think.


	42. Chapter 42

I sat on Break's couch, staring dully at the fireplace which currently had a fire blazing in it.

After running into him on the streets he had basically dragged me all the way back to his new place despite my loud protests. He'd even had to cover my mouth at one point because I wouldn't shut up and he didn't want to draw attention to us, especially since we were going to his new hideout that none of the Black Kings knew about. Eventually I shut up but I moodily pouted the rest of the way there, refusing to meet Break's gaze when he glanced back at me.

Surprisingly the walk wasn't that long or at least it didn't seem like it. I was so intent on ignoring Break that I also ignored all of my surroundings. I hadn't even noticed that Break had stopped walking until my face happened to meet his back and I hit the ground hard. Being drunk made the world spin as I had tried to get back up so Break just scooped me up in his arms and carried me through a door that was hidden behind a pile of random junk. Of course I had protested once we were inside and out of ear-shot of anyone who might have followed us but Break had ignored me as he locked the door and continued to carry me further into the building. Once we reached the first room of the place he set me down on the couch and went about building a fire and getting me a blanket, which was currently wrapped around my shoulders. Then he'd disappeared to go find food and water apparently, leaving me alone, nice and comfortable on the couch.

Yet even as I sat in front of the fire, there was a chill in my bones that I couldn't seem to shake. I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself but still felt the occasional shiver run down my spine. Although before my drunk state had helped me to forget all of my troubles, now it brought back the memories from before with renewed force along with all of the previous anger and depression. I stared blankly into the roaring fire, turning over every bad memory from the past couple days in my head again and again.

Eventually I heard Break walk back into the room but I couldn't bring myself to even turn my head to look at him. Instead, I stayed quiet and continued gazing ahead of me. I felt him lower himself onto the couch next to me and his hand entered my line of vision, holding a glass of water. I accepted it with both hands, hoping Break didn't notice the way they trembled slightly. Sipping on the water slowly, I waited for the inevitable moment when Break would start asking questions. Unfortunately, I didn't have to wait very long.

"So are you going to tell my why you were walking down Skid Row at two in the morning completely drunk?" Break asked, not bothering to conceal his anger.

'_Great, another person who thought I was helpless_' I thought, my mood sinking even further.

I didn't answer him and instead turned my head away from him, feeling the warmth of the fire barely touch one of my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, softly.

"It's nothing," I said dully.

"I don't believe that," Break argued.

I made a noise of indifference but otherwise didn't argue against him.

"Damn it you need to tell me what's wrong. I can help you," Break said.

"It's my life. I'll take care of it," I replied, just wanting to drop the matter.

"If that's your idea of taking care of it I suggest you make some changes," Break commented, the anger creeping back into his voice.

Again I said nothing and turned my gaze back to the fire. I could feel his eyes burning into me, much hotter than the fire in front of me, but I tried to ignore it.

"Seriously. What happened?" Break tried again.

"What does it matter to you?" I argued half-heartedly.

"It matters a lot. I care about you and I don't like seeing you this way," he explained gently.

Some part of me knew he meant that in the best way possible but again all I could think was that he thought I was useless. And he would probably be cheering on the inside because that meant I was no longer a threat and wouldn't be able to get in the way of his plans of taking down the Black Kings.

"Just drop it," I said, shakily setting the glass down on the table and spilling a little bit of water.

I was so fed up at this point that I stood up abruptly, letting the blanket fall from my shoulders. My world spun a little bit again from the alcohol still running through my veins but I shook it off after a few seconds and started to walk away from the couch, stumbling slightly. Break must've stood up as well because I felt his hand wrap around my arm and force me to turn back towards him.

"I can't just drop it! Why won't you let me know what's going on?" he asked, clearly frustrated.

I shook my head and took a step backwards.

"You know you can trust me," he said pleadingly and what little self-control I had left snapped.

"No!" I shouted breaking free of him, "How can I talk to you when we're fighting for different things? I can't tell you anything because I'm always thinking that it might be used against the Black Kings. I can't tell you anything anymore without remembering that you're working for the enemy,"

"Eclipse…" Break tried to say.

"Don't call me that! You lost that right when you betrayed us," I said, on the verge of tears.

"Then what should I call you? Because you know Actor's not your real name," Break asked, looking hurt.

"I…I…I don't know!" I exclaimed, running a hand through my hair.

The tears spilled out of my eyes but I roughly wiped them off my face, refusing to let them fall any further. God was I weak. This was what, the second time I'd cried in the past few days? Pathetic. It was a miracle if I cried that many times in an entire year with the Black Kings.

"This is why I can't be a Newsie," I said, holding up my tear-stained sleeves to show Break, "Being a Newsie has made me weak. They're all weak. I hate it,"

"They're not all weak. Some of them are strong. Stronger than Black Kings," Break proclaimed.

"Like who?" I asked in disbelief.

"Like Conlon," Break said firmly.

I tensed up at the sound of Conlon's name as the memories rushed back to me. Conlon… Above all, he made me weak. He made me weaker than I'd ever been before in my life. I had to stop it.

"Don't mention him," I said, my voice shaking.

"Why not?" Break asked, looking confused.

"Just don't," I said, turning away from him.

"Did something happen? Did he do something?" Break pressed.

"Stop it! Stop talking!" I exclaimed, still facing away from him.

"What happened Actor? What did Spot do?" Break kept on asking.

I covered my ears with my hands but I still couldn't block out Break's incessant questions. The night with Spot rushed back to me and I felt my breath leave me as I relived that terrible, wonderful moment when I couldn't breathe yet had never been happier in my life. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"He kissed me, alright! He kissed me," I exclaimed, uncovering my ears and turning to face Break.

Break stared at me in shock but I couldn't read the other emotions running through his eyes.

"I…I…" I tried to say but the words wouldn't come so I just shrugged helplessly.

Break seemed like he wasn't sure what to do and took a deep breath before speaking slowly and carefully.

"When did he do this?" he asked.

"Last night," I mumbled.

"How did it happen?"

"I had gone up to the roof of the Lodging House because I wanted to be alone since Night had really upset me. Spot must've followed me up there. I tried to leave so he wouldn't see me cry but he just pulled me into a hug. I thought that was all it was going to be when all of the sudden he just…kissed me," I explained helplessly, moving back over to sit on the couch again.

Break followed slowly and I could feel him studying me.

"And how do you feel about it?" he asked quietly.

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't really know," I said, "It was kind of nice but…it can never happen again"

"Night," Break said, summing up my thoughts entirely.

Although it was true Night sometimes had us spies use somewhat unusual methods, I doubt he would let me try and seduce Spot to earn his trust that way. Night was too overprotective and jealous when it came to me. Plus he would literally drown me in the river if I ever fell for that Brooklyn boy.

So I just nodded my head slowly. We sat in complete and utter silence for a while, the only sound coming from the last crackles of the fire as it slowly started to die. Finally, without looking at Break, I spoke up again.

"I should get some sleep,"

"Yeah. Me too," Break replied, slowly standing up from the couch and walking away with heavy steps.

I heard him make it across the room before the footsteps stopped.

"Let me know if you need anything," he called out weakly.

I nodded my head in response, still not looking away from the fire. There was a heavy silence in the room before I heard his footsteps again, fading away farther into the hideout. I don't know how long I sat there on the couch, staring blankly in front of me with my thoughts going a million miles per hour. But by the time I felt my eyelids start to become heavy with sleep and I laid down on the couch, I had resolved what I would do to solve all of my problems.

/

I woke up the next morning to the feeling of someone gently shaking me awake. For a second I thought that I was back at the Lodging House and that Match was waking me because I had slept for too long. As my vision cleared, however, I saw Break standing in front of me and I remembered where I was.

"Time to get up. We need to get you back to the Newsies," Break said.

I groaned in response, my head throbbing slightly from last night's alcohol, but sat up anyway.

"I don't have any food for you but we can grab something from the nuns when we walk over," he continued.

"Okay," I croaked in response, my voice still raspy with sleep.

I leaned my elbows on my knees and wove my fingers together, contemplating last night's decision. I eventually noticed Break standing next to me awkwardly, like he wanted to say something. Putting my plan into action, I decided to speak up first.

"Thanks," I said quietly, staring at my clasped hands.

"For what?" he asked.

"For letting me stay here. And for letting me talk. I just needed to get some of that out," I answered.

Break was quiet for a moment before replying.

"You're welcome," he said.

I assumed that was the end of the conversation and was about to stand up when suddenly Break kneeled in front of me and covered his hands with mine.

"I don't want you to ever feel like you can't talk to me about something. Taking down the Black Kings may be important to me but you'll always come first," he said dead seriously, looking me straight in the eyes.

I stared at him in shock for a second before a wide grin spread across my face.

"Thank you," I said simply, before leaning forward and hugging me.

Break stiffened up in shock at first before tentatively wrapping his arms around me, eventually tightening his grip. I could've laughed at how different my actions were from my thoughts but I kept it all to myself. Pulling away, I felt Break slowly remove his arms from around me.

"We should get going," I said lightly, standing up, "I've got papes to sell"

/

The walk through Manhattan was relatively quiet. Break and I didn't speak much, instead choosing a comfortable silence for most of the trip. I took the time to examine my surroundings finally and see where I was. I actually recognized the neighborhood we were in as a sketchy one that was pretty much useless and abandoned. Normally the Black Kings liked abandoned but we'd pretty much given up on this area for some reason. Which made sense why Break would pick this area for his new hideout where no one could find him. Except for me now.

I actually got a bit anxious as we neared the Distribution Center. I expected everyone to be extremely worried and Jack to yell at me about how I can't just run off on my own. As we turned the corner and finally saw the center with a line of Newsies streaming out of it, I squared my shoulders and assumed a carefree expression.

It wasn't long before one of the Newsies spotted us and called out a greeting. Everyone turned to look at us, a few others calling out greetings as well. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack break away from a group, closely trailed by Race. And judging from his tense movements, he had probably spent last night tossing and turning with worry. I turned my head to look up at Break again who shot me a reassuring smile. I smiled back slightly before looking forward again to see a very agitated Jack standing in front of me.

"Cowboy," Break said in a greeting.

Jack nodded his head slightly before impatiently looking at me.

"Actor," he began, "Where in the hell have you been?"

I immediately assumed a guilty look and cast my eyes down.

"I'm sorry Jack. I should've told you when I left. It was just that I was such a wreck yesterday that I left to find Break. He helped me out and let me stay the night at his place," I explained, shooting a quick smile at Break.

He returned it and laid a hand comfortingly on my shoulder. Turning back to look at Jack, I spotted Spot in the background. I was surprised that he hadn't stepped forward with Jack and Race but was grateful for the moment. I wanted to talk to him later and alone. That was the only way my new plan was going to work.

"Well I'm glad Break could help you out. Just tell me next time, okay?" Jack sighed, running a hand tiredly though his hair.

"I will!" I promised eagerly.

I think it pleased Jack to see me in a better mood because he threw his arm around me and started leading me over to the front of the line.

"Let's get you back to selling now," Jack said, motioning to the boy in the front of the line to step to the side.

I nodded my head, forcing a smile on my face.

All I could think was how all of this would soon be changed.

/

The rest of the day passed by relatively quickly. I could tell that the Newsies were waiting for me to lose my happiness and dissolve into tears at any second but I just kept up the act even more until all of them were convinced I was fine. Conlon seemed like he was sulking for most of the day, probably because I'd just stayed the night at a boy's place and came back happier whereas Spot had only served to make me a wreck. I tried not to care though. As long as my plan worked on him too then everything would be okay.

I was walking back to the Lodging House by myself after selling when I saw the one-and-only Spot Conlon on the sidewalk in front of me, walking slowly without the usual swagger in his step. Taking a deep breath, I quickened my pace and ran over in my head what I was going to say to him.

When I was only a few steps away from him, I slowed down and said his name.

"Spot,"

He immediately straightened up and pivoted on his foot, ready with the usual Brooklyn determination to deal with whoever he had to talk to now. His face dropped slightly in surprise, however, when he saw me standing there. I smiled slightly and greeted him.

"Hi," I said simply.

"Hi," he replied, still somewhat shocked.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said calmly.

"About what?" he asked, his face becoming slightly more guarded.

"About two nights ago," I replied evenly, "I know you were just trying to comfort me and I wanted say thank you for that"

Spot looked like he wanted to say something but I quickly continued on.

"However, I still stand by what I said that night. I can't get involved with you like that," I finished firmly.

Spot stared at me for a while, his usual poker face finally up. I stared evenly back, refusing to back down.

Finally, he opened his mouth again to speak.

"I'm sorry I took advantage of you like that. It wasn't right of me to act on my feelings when you were upset and vulnerable. I shouldn't have done that," he stated clearly.

Although the vulnerable description annoyed me a little bit, I nodded my head in response, trying to seem pleased with his apology.

"Glad we're on the same page," I said.

I didn't know what else to do or say so I figured walking away would be the best option.

"I'll see you later," I said somewhat awkwardly and started to walk past Spot.

He grabbed my arm unexpectedly, however, and immediately I flashed back to the night on top of the Lodging House. I tensed up at his touch and tried to fight off the heat in my cheeks.

"I said I was sorry for what I did then. That doesn't mean I'll stop fighting for you," he said, dead serious, and I could feel him looking at me.

I couldn't help myself from looking over at him in shock and immediately wished I hadn't. His eyes seemed to see right through my indifferent act and this time I couldn't stop my cheeks from exploding in heat at his intense gaze. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence so I shut my mouth and yanked my arm away from him. Luckily he let me go easily and I quickly took off, resisting the urge to start running.

I couldn't deny the fact that his statement had sent shivers down my spine and I replayed the moment over and over again in my head as I hurried through the streets. But despite his persistence, I was still determined to go through with my decision to end my problems.

**A/N Hmm, I wonder what Actor's big decision will be? Actually I already know, you guys will have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Sorry for dropping so many teasers without actually telling anything. But hopefully Chapter 43will be up next week. Please keep on reading!**


	43. Chapter 43

After my encounter with Spot I had basically hid myself in the girls' bunkroom until everyone came back from dinner at Tibby's. A few of the girls asked where I'd been so I just said that I hadn't had money to buy dinner and didn't want to sit there watching other people eat. Match immediately scolded me, saying that she would've given me some of her food if I hadn't been able to buy any. A couple of other girls chimed in saying the same thing but I just smiled and said I wasn't that hungry anyway (which was such a lie).

We all hung out in the bunkroom for a little while before Race poked his head into the room, saying that the boys were going to start poker games soon and we should all come and watch. Tear made a sassy comment about how Race only wanted us to watch because otherwise I would play and take all of his money. We all broke out laughing as Race "accidentally" flipped off Tear before pulling his head out of the room. It took us a while to get our laughter under control but once we did we all headed over to the other room. There was already a poker game well underway so we just mingled with the other guys in the room.

I noticed Jack, Spot, and Race all huddled in the corner as usual talking in low voices. I assume they were talking about the meeting tonight and I cursed my luck at not being able to hear what they were saying. Instead, I vowed to keep a close eye on them tonight so that they couldn't sneak away without me.

When everyone was heading off to bed I quietly snuck downstairs and hid myself in the living area where none of the boys could see me. Luckily, I didn't have to wait very long before the three of them came quietly down the staircase and went out the door without so much as a single glance behind. I quickly ran to the back door and headed in the same direction that they had, sticking to the shadows the entire time. I was able to look down the alleys to make sure I was still in line with them for the most part, adjusting my route when they took a turn.

Somewhere along the way they were joined by Queens and Brooklyn's second-in-command. I didn't see any sign of the Street Sharks so I assumed that they were all headed to the Street Shark headquarters for the meeting. Wherever that was. Once we hit the southwest part of Manhattan the group of boys slowed down for some reason. I darted down an alley so that I was trailing right behind them instead of one alley over so that it would be easier to follow them. I figured that this was around where they would be holding the meeting.

As I was trailing them the sound of a footstep behind me caught my attention and I whipped around, expecting to see someone right there. To my surprise, it was completely empty. Even the shadows all around were empty as far as I could tell. Satisfied that there was no one there, I turned back to face the group of boys. Only they weren't there anymore. I looked around frantically for some sign of them and cursed silently for letting them out of my sight. Where in the hell had they disappeared off to anyway?

Suddenly, I felt strong arms grab me from behind, one covering my mouth and the other pinning my arms to my side. I initially tried to kick the person holding me but something about them seemed familiar so I decided to try and figure out who it was. Well, that and I couldn't even really move my legs from the way they were dragging me along.

Whoever it was dragged me far down the nearest alley, stopping somewhat in the shadows. They quickly spun my around and pinned me up against the brick wall before I had a chance to duck away. With my mouth completely free now, I was about to cuss them out until I saw who it was.

"Break?!" I asked, completely shocked.

"The one and only," he replied without much enthusiasm.

My shock was quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Let me go!" I hissed at him.

"No. If I let you go you'll just try to sneak back to that meeting," Break shook his head.

"Damn straight I will," I growled at him.

"And what if you get caught again? There are Street Shark spies everywhere tonight, what if one of them catches you and drags you to Striker and Jack? Do you think you can talk your way out of that one?" Break challenged.

"That wouldn't happen because I wouldn't be caught by them," I shot back.

"Oh really? You couldn't even hide from me. And the Street Sharks are better than you give them credit for," Break argued.

"It doesn't matter how good they are. I'm better," I said icily.

"You're sounding like all the other Black Kings now," Break laughed quietly but I could hear the bitterness in his voice, "You're so concentrated on being up on your throne that you can't see the people breaking it apart underneath"

"Maybe I'm sounding like them because I'm still one of them. Unlike you who's a traitor," I practically growled.

"I may be a traitor but I believe in what I'm fighting for now," Break replied, glaring at me.

"Well isn't that fantastic," I said sarcastically.

"It is. Because I have something I'm proud of now. I was never proud to be a Black King," Break shot back.

"Liar. I remember the look on your face when you were promoted. Everyone was standing there cheering for you. You liked it. You were accepted and you were proud of what you were doing for the Black Kings," I argued.

I knew it was low of me to bring up the past like that but I was so mad at Break for catching me and myself for being caught that I didn't care.

"That was a long time ago," Break said, sounding slightly strained, "I like what I'm fighting for now. That's what I'm focusing on"

"What happened to me always coming first?" I said mockingly.

"You still come first. But spying on this meeting is for the Black Kings, not for you," Break countered.

I couldn't think of a good comeback so I just glared at him instead. He just sighed and released me, taking a step back. I rubbed my arms where he had been holding me somewhat dramatically, trying to make him feel guilty. It didn't work.

"Go home Actor," Break said, sounding tired.

I bit back a retort and tried to hold my head up with what little pride I had left.

"Fine," I said shortly, turning on my heel and starting to walk out of the alley.

I could feel his eyes on my back but I refused to turn around and look at him again. Mostly because the overwhelming embarrassment I was feeling right now made me not want to add onto it even more.

Break seemed to have different ideas though.

"You were right," he said, just loud enough that his voice carried down the alley.

I stopped just short of the entrance to the alley and turned to look back at him but didn't say anything.

"The Newsies did change you," he said, "You stand out in the shadows now. You can't blend in with them anymore"

Without a single word, I turned away from him and slipped out of the alley and into the night. All I wanted to do was get as far away as possible from that stupid place. What did he mean I couldn't blend in with the shadows anymore? I was still very good at doing that. I hadn't lost my touch at all. Right?

The entire walk back I turned over his words and everything that had happened again and again in my head, slowly getting angrier. Break had just completely trashed the Black Kings despite knowing full well that I still stood by them. Just because he had jumped ship doesn't mean that I had to stand there and listen to him bitch about it all. And besides, we were not nearly as bad as he was making us out to be. True, initiation was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life but so what. And he also was enough of a jackass to insult our skills! Saying we were bad spies and gang members. But for him to insult my skills…he had called me a Newsie. I wasn't even worthy to be a Black King in his eyes. Angry tears burned at the corners of my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Tears made me weak. Newsies made me weak. The Black Kings were strong. We might be under attack right now but we could get through this. We had to. I had nothing else to fight for. So we absolutely had to survive.

By the time I got back to the Lodging House I was so pissed off that there was no way I would be able to lie still and go to sleep. Instead I ran quietly up the fire escape and headed straight for the roof. I practically stormed over to my regular spot on top of the crates and plopped down.

To hell with Break. To hell with traitors in general. He had to be stopped somehow before he brought the whole thing crashing down around me. I just didn't know how to do it. Or how to get information anymore. It was hard enough to find out when meetings were and even harder to sneak away. Tonight had been a rare opportunity but Break had ruined my chance of getting news for Night. I groaned in frustration; this entire situation was making my head spin.

Eventually I rested my head on my hands and closed my eyes. Being so angry had actually burned away most of my energy and made me kind of tired. I was dozing off slightly when a voice brought me back to reality.

"Long night?"

I flinched in surprise and looked up to see Spot standing on the edge of the roof, facing me. He must have just gotten back from the meeting with the Sharks.

"Couldn't sleep," I said, resting my head on my hands again so that I wouldn't have to make eye contact with him.

"Why not?" he asked, footsteps echoing off the roof as he neared closer.

"Bad dreams," I said simply, staring at the ground.

"Do you want to talk about them?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head.

"I just want to forget them," I said as casually as I could.

"That bad?"

I nodded my head.

To be fair, I wasn't totally lying. True, bad dreams hadn't kept me up tonight. But I actually did get them fairly frequently. Sometimes they were about when I was a child or when I had just started life on the streets. Sometimes I relived going through the Black King initiation and other times I saw my friends get shot again and again and again. Luckily I never said anything out loud when I dreamed so most people didn't know I would get them. Instead I had to deal with my own personal hell by myself.

"At least it's a nice night to sit outside," Spot said, somewhat awkwardly.

I looked up at him in surprise and he looked so embarrassed that I couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Yeah it is. You can see all of the stars tonight," I said quietly, trying to ease his embarrassment.

Spot made a noise of agreement.

"Usually the bridge is always in the way when I try to look up at the sky in Brooklyn," he commented.

I didn't reply and instead tilted my head up towards the sky and admired all of the stars up above. The moon was high in the sky as well and was so bright I almost had to squint. Still, I enjoyed the blanket of stars above me. I always loved looking at them and imagining that I was up there in space with them, just floating along. I would be far, far away from all of my worries and wouldn't have to think about anything other than enjoying the bright lights around me.

I snuck a quick glance at Spot and was pleased to see him looking up at the stars as well. He seemed to be intently studying them as if this was the first time he'd ever seen them. It made me want to laugh so I quickly turned my eyes back towards the night sky. We sat there for a long time, necks craned back, staring up at the vast darkness above us.

I was lost in my own thoughts but at some point I noticed the feeling of someone staring at me. Tearing my eyes away from the sky, I looked over at Spot to see him staring at me. He was gazing at me in such a way that I couldn't keep eye contact for once and looked down at the roof. I nervously kept my gaze towards the ground while wondering how a guy could have such an effect on me. To be honest, I was no pure virgin saint. I'd slept with guys before. Only two actually and both after I'd turned fifteen. Which in my defense was a lot better than most of the other girls that joined the Black Kings. A lot of them started sleeping around by about thirteen and had little regard for how many they slept with. That's just the way things worked in the Black Kings. Add in the prostitutes we'd see all the time in the headquarters or on the streets and it just seemed normal to me. So I couldn't figure out why I felt this way around Spot.

I felt his fingers wrap around my chin and he gently raised my head so that I was looking at him again.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Spot said quietly, smiling.

I looked at him in surprise. It was rare that anyone ever commented on my looks, even after I'd joined the Newsies and stopped wearing a bandana around my face. Break occasionally said it but I had always thought he was just being a good friend. I'd never actually thought that I could be considered beautiful.

"Thanks," I managed to stammer.

I wasn't sure what else to say so we just sat there quietly, looking into each other's eyes. I was vaguely aware that his hand was still touching my face but I couldn't find it in me to knock it away.

The moment was broken by the sound of the window sliding open and loud footsteps echoing on the fire escape. Curiously enough it came not from the side with the window to the girls' bunkroom but the side with the window that led to the empty room. Spot's hand dropped away and we both turned to look over in that direction, waiting to see who had come out here.

Surprisingly enough, it was Race's head that popped up. He didn't seem shocked at all to see us sitting here. Instead, he immediately began talking.

"Spot we need you downstairs," he said.

Race's gaze lingered on me for a second and he opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Actor you should come too," he added on.

"What is it?" I asked, confused.

"Just come downstairs," Race repeated.

I looked at Spot in confusion but he just stood up and motioned with his head towards the stairs.

"Let's go. It should be something interesting"

I frowned but didn't say anything as I stood up and followed him. We quietly made our way through the empty room with a table and a few chairs and into the hallway. I could hear a low murmur from downstairs and my curiosity grew. What could possibly be so important or interesting this late at night? I tried to listen to the voices and was able to pick out a few people like Jack and Break and even Striker. What were they all doing here?

I felt my anxiety coil in my stomach and sit there, slowly growing bigger with every step I took down the hallway. The voices were starting to become clearer and I could hear sentences now, although I immediately wished that I couldn't.

"We caught him trying to spy on our meeting," Striker said.

An instant chill ran through my veins and I lost the ability to breathe for a few seconds. They had caught someone spying. That meant one of us. A Black King. Who was it?

A million thoughts ran through my head as I numbly walked down the stairs. The room was basically packed with Street Sharks and Brooklyn Newsies and Manhattan Newsies, some of whom looked like they had just woken up. I even saw Match, Glasses, and Rose standing in one of the corners, staring at the center of the room.

When I reached the landing I turned my attention towards the middle where everyone else seemed to be focusing as well. Almost immediately I stopped dead in my tracks and barely felt Race run into me from behind. Instead, my focus was on the figure kneeling on the ground in the middle of the room, hands tied behind his back, glaring defiantly at the Newsies that surrounded him.

Holler.

They had captured the second-in-command.

**A/N Hehe so I made Actor a tiny bit experienced with love… I didn't want to make Actor seem too promiscuous but she's definitely not inexperienced. So don't judge her, that's just how I imagined the Black Kings would be like. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please keep reading!**


	44. Chapter 44

After the excitement of capturing Holler had kind of died down Jack had basically kicked out anyone who wasn't a Manhattan Newsie and yelled at everyone else to go back to sleep. Everyone had obeyed, although there were some mutters of disapproval. I had kind of awkwardly stood next to the staircase not moving, unsure of whether I was supposed to stay here or go back to sleep, until Race grabbed my arm and led me upstairs to the once-empty room I was currently standing in. We were quickly followed by Striker and his second-in-command Trap, Glare and his second-in-command Match, and then Spark, Brooklyn's second-in-command, who was dragging Holler behind him. Jack, Break, and Spot were the last people to enter the room before Spot closed the door and locked it.

Spot looked over at me and we locked eyes for a split second before I averted my gaze. I knew that he could read me better than most and I didn't want him to see the conflicting emotions that were running through me right now.

Instead, I concentrated on Break who made his way over to me. He leaned over so that his mouth was right next to my ear and whispered,

"This could've been you if it hadn't been me to catch you,"

I clenched my jaw to hold back a retort and glared at the back of his head as he moved across the room to stand next to Jack, who was right in front of Holler. They had forced Holler to sit in a chair in the middle of the room but he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed rather laid back about the whole thing. Which was surprising considering he was a prisoner and all.

I tried to catch his gaze but he seemed to be looking at everyone in the room except for me, which was frustrating to no end. Eventually I gave up and resigned to leaning against the far wall as the interrogation started.

"So, Holler," Jack began, "didn't think we'd get to see each other so soon. What's the occasion?"

"Night sent me. He wanted me to spy on your little meeting," Holler answered calmly.

"Why did he send you out? Don't you have people who are specifically spies?" Spot asked.

"We do. But they're all busy doing other things right now. And besides them I'm the best spy," Holler said.

"How are you the best? Black King spies are practically legendary. They never get caught," Race spoke up.

Holler chuckled at Race's comment.

"I know. We used to have the best but we were careless and lost them," Holler said, his eyes casually flicking over to me for the first time.

I immediately tensed up and lowered my gaze to the floor. I knew that only a few people in the room would know that he was talking about me but I was still somewhat unsettled about the whole thing. Especially since I would be the one who would have to report this whole thing to Night. And he would not be happy to hear that his second-in-command screwed up and got caught on a mission.

"You don't seem particularly worried that you got caught," Striker observed.

"No not really. To be honest I was kind of hoping for it," Holler replied smoothly.

We all looked at him in confusion after he said that.

"You wanted to get caught?" Spot asked, saying what we were all thinking.

"Yep," Holler replied brightly.

"Why?" Jack asked, clearly very confused.

Holler grew very serious as he started to explain himself.

"I'm sure you are all aware of the fantastic job you are doing with taking down the Black Kings. I know I can see it. We're getting weaker day by day," he said.

"What's your point?" Glare asked.

"I haven't really enjoyed my past couple of years with the gang. I've wanted to quit for some time now. And I think this is the perfect opportunity for me to speed up my retirement," he responded.

"What do you mean?" Race asked.

"What I mean is that I'm going to tell you everything I can about the Black Kings. And hopefully that will bring them down quicker," Holler answered calmly.

I swear my lungs gave out when I heard that. Or maybe all of the air somehow left the room. Either way I couldn't breathe.

"And how can we trust what you say?" Spot challenged.

"That's up to you to decide," Holler said, shrugging, "And you can always ask Break whether I'm telling the truth or not"

Everyone turned to look at Break who nodded to show that he would confirm what Holler was saying. Jack gave Holler a motion to go ahead so Holler started talking immediately.

While everyone else around me was standing there listening attentively, I kind of faded in and out of the conversation, too consumed with my thoughts to focus. Was this some kind of trick? Had Night told Holler to get caught and tell all of this to the Newsies? Or was Holler really betraying us? Why was he telling them everything?

I crossed my arms and gripped them tightly as I had to stand there in complete silence and listen to every single bit of information about the Black Kings be revealed to the Newsies and the Street Sharks. It took all of my self-control to keep from covering my ears so that I didn't have to listen to it anymore.

After what seemed like an eternity, Holler finally stopped talking. A single nod from Break was all it took to convince the Newsies that what he had just said was true. They had a quick, quiet meeting about what they would do with Holler but I ignored it, too focused on counting the lines in the wood on the floor. It wasn't until Race tapped me on the shoulder that I looked up and realized that everyone was filing out of the room.

I started to follow Race out of the room and was only a few steps away from the door when Holler spoke up again.

"Can I talk to Actor? Alone?" he asked.

I fought to keep my face blank as I looked Jack in the eyes and nodded my head as consent. I was burning with a hundred questions to ask Holler so now was the perfect opportunity.

After everyone had finally made their way out of the room and closed the door, I slowly pivoted to face Holler although I didn't look up at him as I slowly walked across the room to where he was sitting. I stopped when I was about ten feet away from him: I didn't want to get any closer.

"Please tell me that that was just a trick," I said slowly, not looking at him.

He didn't answer so I tried again.

"That was just a story, right? You were trying to mess with them, throw them off the real plan," I continued somewhat frantically.

When Holler still didn't respond I looked up and immediately hated myself for doing so. When our eyes locked I could see the truth. Holler hadn't been bluffing or feeding them a bogus story; he had just told the Newsies all of the dirty little secrets of the Black Kings. He wasn't fighting for them anymore. I felt like I'd been punched hard in the stomach. What can you do when even the second-in-command doesn't believe in your group anymore?

I numbly walked over to where he was sitting and dropped to my knees in front of him, looking up at him with barely concealed hurt.

"Why?" I asked in barely a whisper.

"The Black Kings are weak. I'm done with them and so are other people. When Break approached me about a plan to finally take them down I was immediately on board," he explained simply.

I didn't answer right away, instead just staring at some place to the right of his head.

"You could join us too. We have enough people to bring down the Black Kings once and for all. You can help us end this," he coaxed.

I turned back to him with a questioning look and he took this as a sign of my weakening resolve and continued talking.

"You're fighting for a losing cause. There's no way the Black Kings can win this war," he said calmly.

I sat there turning over what he had said in my head. I knew that what he was saying was true. We were struggling. You had to be a fool to see that. And I knew I hadn't been able to do much to help the Black Kings in this war but I'd be damned if I helped bring them down at this point.

"I know. I know that the Black Kings are losing. But I'd rather sink with the ship than watch it burn from shore," I said just as calmly, looking off towards the window.

"Just let go of them! They can't do anything more for you. You're clinging to a dead past," Holler argued.

"I told you, I know that already. But I won't let go. I can't," I said, looking him straight in the eye.

Holler regarded me for a few moments before sighing.

"You always were too loyal," he mumbled.

I laughed lightly at what he said, not really sure how to feel about everything that was happening. I couldn't decide if I wanted to scream and cry in frustration or laugh at the absolute hopelessness of the situation.

"Sticking with the Black Kings will bring you nothing but trouble. Can't you see that Break and I are only trying to look out for you? Leaving the gang will mean you can be happy," Holler tried again to convince me.

I looked at him in shock for a second before letting out a short, harsh laugh.

"Happiness? You're looking out for my so-called happiness?" I said in disbelief, standing up so that I was looking down at him.

Holler looked shocked so I continued.

"I haven't been "happy" since I was a small child. I don't expect it anymore. I never expected it with the Black Kings and I don't think I'd find it with the Newsies either. So lose your idiotic ideas about trying to make me happy because right now all you're doing is ticking me off," I ended harshly.

I turned on my heel and stalked over to the other side of the room. Right before I reached the door I paused and looked over my shoulder at him with the same cold mask he was used to seeing me use in the gang. His stunned face was nothing short of priceless.

"All of you people are the same and I'm sick and tired of it. Stop trying to step in front of me and protect me from the world or whatever. This "little girl" you think I still am grew up a hell of a lot faster than you know," I said sharply, before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

Jack, Spot, and Break were still standing in the hallway, just far away enough that I was confident Holler and I hadn't been overheard. They all looked up when I came into the hallway and Jack started to walk towards me. I was not in the mood to be questioned, however, and I had a job to do so I walked forward and pushed past him.

"I need fresh air," I said, looking straight ahead.

"At this hour?" Jack asked.

"Yep," I answered simply.

"Someone needs to go with you. It's not safe by yourself," Jack argued.

I whirled around to face him again, a determined look on my face.

"I have been in much worse places before by myself. I can take care of myself," I stated clearly before turning on my heel and starting to walk away.

"But…" Jack started to protest.

"I need to be by myself," I cut him off harshly before I practically ran down the stairs and out the door.

The second I made it to the end of the street and turned the corner I broke out into a dead sprint through the nearest alley. Even free-running the entire way there didn't help my mood though. I was pissed off. First I find out that even more people than just Break were traitors. Holler had hinted that it could actually be a lot of people. Then Holler tries to sweet-talk me into betraying the Black Kings. Like hell if I would ever do that. When I choose something to fight for I make sure that I stick with it until the very end. Even if I can't really help out the Black Kings I will never do anything to help bring them down quicker.

Finally I reached the place and strode confidently towards the front door. The lone guard materialized out of the darkness and stepped in front of the door, blocking my path and forcing me to stop a few feet away from him.

"I need to talk to Night," I said calmly.

"He's busy," the boy challenged.

I sighed and completely dropped my calm attitude, glaring at him instead.

"I said I need to talk to him. As in right now. You may sit on your ass all day but the rest of us actually do stuff so I suggest you move right now before I make sure you can never stand up again," I threatened.

The guard who I recognized as Gate narrowed his eyes at me but finally just shrugged and stepped off to the side. Even though I didn't want to, I nodded to him as thanks before walking inside. In my experience, generally showing some level of respect to other people made them more willing to open up to you later on when you wanted to know stuff. So I always tried to keep good relationships with other people in the gang.

Once inside I took a quick right down a narrow hallway and arrived at the bottom of the back staircase which was rarely ever used. I didn't really feel like having to talk to people right now so I figured the back way was the best. Especially since, as a spy in the Newsies, I really wasn't supposed to be back at headquarters right now.

Running up the stairs, I quickly reached the floor that Night's room was on and quietly wove through the hallways until I was standing in front of it. Surprisingly, no one was standing guard outside the door like they usually did. Probably because we didn't have the manpower to spare anymore. I didn't like to think about it but there were definitely signs of the war taking its toll on the gang.

Shaking my head to ward of the bad thoughts, I knocked three times on Night's door.

"Come in," Night called out from inside.

I quietly opened the door and stepped inside the room. Night was at his desk on the other side, hunched over and writing on a piece of paper. I quietly walked across the room and stopped a few feet away from his desk. He continued to concentrate on writing for a few more seconds before throwing down his pen. He looked up and his face went from tired to shocked in less than a second.

"Eclipse? What are you doing here so late?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," I replied, surprisingly collected.

"What is it?" Night asked, standing up and walking around to the front of the desk so we were only a few feet away.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself for what I was about to say.

"We've got a few problems," I said.

**A/N This chapter was a bit shorter than my last ones but I was happy that I had the inspiration to get it written so quickly. It's official that the Black Kings are starting to fail so hopefully you're all interested to see how this will play out. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!**


	45. Chapter 45

"What is it?" Night asked and I could hear the tension in his voice.

"Holler tried to spy on a meeting between the Newsies and Street Sharks," I began.

I wanted to reveal everything I knew slowly so that Night wouldn't be overwhelmed all at once.

"He did what?" Night said slowly.

"He tried to spy on a meeting. But he got caught," I said hesitantly.

"What?!" Night yelled, "Why would he do something like that? How could he be so stupid?"

"He wanted to get caught," I replied simply.

"If he wanted to find out inside information he should've just left it to you. Or at least told me about it," Night grumbled, clearly frustrated.

"That's not why," I said softly.

"Then what is it?" Night demanded impatiently.

I took a deep breath and looked Night straight in the eye.

"He was trying to betray us," I stated solemnly.

I finally understood what people meant when they said that the silence was deafening. I'd never understood that quote because it just sounded so stupid to me. How could no noise be loud? That's crazy. But right now, the silence in the room seemed like it would swallow me up any second. I shifted anxiously in place, wanting to make some sort of noise in the room.

Night didn't say anything but his face clearly looked like he'd just been hit by a carriage. There was a flurry of emotion running through his eyes that went from angry to confused to hurt and back again.

"How…?" Night tried to ask, but the words failed him.

"The Newsies made me stand in the room when they interrogated Holler. Holler willingly told them everything he knew, saying that he'd had enough of us and had been looking for a reason to quit. That we were weak now," I explained, clenching my hands into fists at the memory.

My voice caught for a second but I composed myself and continued talking.

"I thought he might be lying to them and saying everything because of orders from you so I asked him after all of the Newsies had left the room but…I could see it. He did that on purpose," I finished.

Night continued to stand stock still, trying to process the information. I could almost see the wheels in his head turning as he calculated our chance of survival now that Holler had betrayed us. It was dangerously low.

Night slowly turned around until his back was to me and I could no longer read the look on his face. I waited anxiously for some kind of reaction or command. That's all I needed. Proof that my life with the Black Kings wasn't over just yet. That Night would still fight.

You should probably be careful what you wish for though.

"DAMN IT!" Night yelled, slamming his fists onto the top of his desk, causing me to flinch backwards at the loud noise.

I was so surprised I didn't even have time to react when Night threw something that was on his desk behind him and it came whirling towards my face. It grazed my left cheek and smashed into the wall behind me, shattering. I don't know what it was but when I lifted up my hand to my cheek I felt a thin, wet line. Blood. I was so focused on my bleeding cheek that I didn't notice Night throw more things around the room in his rage until something hard slammed into my right shoulder and another hit my hip. I clenched my teeth shut and bit back a groan as pain blossomed in the two places.

I got into a defensive position with one arm out in front of me, ready this time in case Night decided he wanted to see what else he could destroy. But he was just standing in front of his desk with his back still to me, shoulders going up and down rapidly, his heavy breathing the only sound in the room. We stood like that for a while, me clutching my shoulder and watching as Night slowly got himself under control again. Finally, he straightened up and cleared his throat. When he spoke again, I shivered from how cold his voice sounded.

"No more waiting around. We can't afford that any more. We're attacking them straight on now. One final battle to decide it all," he said.

I nodded my head before realizing that that was stupid because he couldn't see me.

"Do you want me to tell the Newsies?" I asked tentatively.

"No. I have another way to deliver that message. Just be prepared," he answered, scarily calm.

"What about Holler and Break?" I asked.

There was a short silence as tension filled the air again at the mention of the traitor's names.

"They'll get what's coming to them," Night finally answered tersely.

I tried not to think about what would happen to them and instead decided that it was time for me to leave.

"I'll be going then," I said as casually as I could, which meant it wasn't at all.

I turned to leave and had my hand on the doorknob when Night spoke up again.

"You won't betray me will you?" he asked so quietly I almost thought I had imagined it.

"Never," I replied firmly, "Unlike those two, I have pride in this gang. I have a life here"

"Haven't they tried to convince you to join them?" Night asked.

"They have. I turned them down," I responded shortly.

"Good," was all Night said in response.

I didn't know what else to say so I just opened the door and slipped out. Taking the same stairs that I had used to come in I managed to make it outside again without being seen. I quickly walked through the deathly quiet streets, barely bothering to stay in the shadows. It was probably close to two in the morning by now and I could feel the need to sleep start to creep up on me.

I actually felt a small sense of relief when I spotted the Lodging House in the darkness, looking forward to closing my eyes and getting a small break from reality. Instead of going through the window that went straight to the girls' bunkroom, however, I decided to just walk straight through the front door. It's not like anyone would be up, I reasoned.

I really needed to stop assuming things.

I walked in the front door and was shocked to see Holler and Break in the living area, just behind the podium. They had been in the middle of talking but broke off the conversation abruptly when they saw me, their faces mirroring my own surprise. I quickly turned to the left to face the stairs, trying to make it seem like I was avoiding them. Which is true but I also didn't want them to see the cut on my cheek and start asking questions. I was thankful that they couldn't see it since it was facing away from them.

I started to head towards the stairs but apparently my luck had deserted me a long time ago. I felt a hand grab my injured shoulder and immediately hissed in pain, pulling away from the hand. I turned my head just enough to see that Break had somehow made it over to me in only a few seconds. He looked even more confused than before but his confusion quickly changed into anger when he saw the fresh cut on my cheek. I quickly turned my head away but I knew that I hadn't been fast enough. A quick glance at Holler told me that he'd also seen the injury.

"What happened?" Break asked, his calm voice barely betraying a hint of rage.

I didn't answer right away so Break tried again.

"Actor what happened?" Break asked more forcefully.

"None of your damn business, alright?" I replied, turning to leave again.

"Did Night hurt you?" Holler asked.

"No. I just had some trouble getting past Gate," I lied.

"Don't try to pull that with us. We know you're lying," Break said.

"I'm not lying. And it's not like you care," I spat at them.

I tried to walk away again but Break grabbed onto the shoulder that wasn't injured and forced me to turn around.

"Don't you ever say that. We're trying to protect you," Break said angrily.

My mask slipped away for a second and I could tell that the betrayal that I felt was evident on my face. Break's expression softened slightly but I immediately fixed my blank mask back in place.

"You have a really funny way of showing it," I said icily.

"We've already told you," Break started to say, sounding strained.

I cut him off quickly though.

"And I've already told you back, I don't need your pity or your help. So drop it," I shot back.

Break loosened his hold enough for me to try yet again to turn around and start walking back towards the stairs.

"Actor," Holler said in that same voice he had always used as second-in-command of the Black Kings.

Note the past tense there.

I paused in mid-step on the landing and turned slightly to glare at him.

"Don't use that tone with me. You don't control me anymore," I shot back at him.

"I never did to begin with. Night's the one who controls everything. He's the one who's caused all of this trouble. We just don't want you to get hurt anymore," Holler said so sincerely I almost believed him for a second.

"If you didn't want to hurt me you wouldn't have betrayed the Black Kings," I replied as calmly as I could.

"The Black Kings are poisonous. We're trying to protect you by getting you away from them. The longer you stay with them the more you'll get hurt," Holler explained.

"I told you, I don't care anymore. It doesn't matter how much it hurts I will fight to protect what I think is worth fighting for," I replied firmly.

"But…" Break tried to say something but I cut him off.

"I don't need to hear it. I'm done with listening to you guys," I snapped.

All I wanted to do right now was walk up the stairs and dive in my bed but something held me back. I paused for a second, unsure of what I was about to do was right or not.

"Just…" I said tentatively, "be careful. Night's looking to hurt you two"

After I finished talking I practically ran up the stairs without looking back once. I felt so confused right now about what I should be doing. I didn't want Holler or Break to get hurt but I also hated them for betraying the Black kings. And don't even get me started on the Newsies…

Exhausted, I quietly snuck across the girls' bunkroom and fell onto my bed, quickly drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

/

Break and Holler stood near the bottom of the stairs, silent as they listened to Actor's footsteps fade away down the hallway. They continued to stay silent even after they were both sure she had left, absorbing everything.

Break was the first to end the silence, reaching a hand up to run it through his hair and sigh in frustration.

"This is ridiculous," he mumbled.

"Well we knew she would be stubborn about the whole thing," Holler said tiredly.

"Yeah but I can't believe she's this stubborn. She's fighting for something that's practically dead already. I don't understand why it's so hard for her to let go," Break complained.

"She's not as loyal as she thinks she is. If she was completely devoted to Night, she wouldn't have warned us about his plan to attack us both," Holler said firmly.

"True. We just need to show her how divided she really is," Break agreed.

"Maybe she just needs the right kind of persuasion," Holler said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Break asked, turning to look at Holler in confusion.

"We've been just trying to talk to her. Maybe we need to actually take action," Holler explained.

"Like what?" Break questioned.

"We need to cut her off completely from the Black Kings. Even if she won't quit if we make it impossible for her to contact them then that's basically the same thing. We need to have someone with her at all times. Don't let her slip away because then she can easily sneak off to find Night or someone else. And have the Newsies shower her with attention so that she feels like she belongs. The second she realizes that she can survive without the Black Kings is when she'll ditch them for good," Holler said.

Break took a second to absorb it all before nodding slowly.

"That's brilliant," he stated.

Holler cracked a grin.

"Let's bring those Black King bastards down for good," Holler said.

**A/N I think these next couple of chapters might be shorter than usual because this is a very busy time with finals coming up and everything. However, I do want to update as much as possible and hopefully distract other people that also have to suffer through finals and the end of the semester. Hang in there everyone!**


	46. Chapter 46

I woke up the next morning still somewhat in a bad mood from last night. My hip and shoulder hurt to touch and I knew that the small cut on my cheek was visible. As I went about doing my morning routine I prayed that no one would mention it. I really didn't feel like having to lie this early in the morning.

After rushing through washing my face and throwing my hair in what resembled a bun, I followed the crowd of Newsies down the hallway and stairs. I'd just hit the landing when I heard my name called out.

"Hey Actor,"

I stopped and turned at the sound of it. Sitting on top of one of the couches was Jack with Spot standing next to him. Adopting a look of pure innocence (in case Jack was going to yell at me again) I walked over to them.

"What is it?" I asked, smiling at them.

"I wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry about last night," Jack said.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"For making you sit through the interrogation. I didn't mean to get you upset," Jack explained.

"It wasn't that," I replied, smiling to reassure Jack, "I was just upset because Holler was being an idiot and not caring about his safety"

"It was a daring move," Jack admitted, "So then you're fine with him being here?"

"Yeah," I lied, "I'm fine with it. I'll just be worried about him"

"You worry too much," a familiar voice said.

I turned my head to see Holler walking over towards us with a huge grin on his face. I forced a smile on my face and was about to say hi when suddenly he swept me into a big hug. Automatically I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in the front of his shirt, wishing this was real.

"That's because you do stupid things and then I can't help but worry," I replied, my voice muffled by his shirt.

He laughed and let go of me. I stood there, looking up at him and grinning.

"Well I'm glad you're okay with all of this," Jack said, pulling my attention back towards him.

"I want Holler to go with you, Race and Mush today for selling. Break is going to tag along too," Jack said, clapping Holler on the back.

"What?" I blurted out, shocked.

"They asked to do it. And since you're fine with them being here I don't see why they shouldn't," Jack replied.

"But…" I tried to argue.

"What's the problem Actor?" Holler asked, pretending to seem somewhat hurt.

I could see the laughter in his eyes though. He was daring me to find come up with a reason why he couldn't tag along for selling.

"I just think that Holler shouldn't be out on the streets so soon after betraying the Black Kings," I explained, crossing my arms and looking concerned.

"We talked about that. But the Black Kings wouldn't try anything in the middle of the day especially with such a big group. Plus Spot and I will meet up with you guys after selling to walk back with you all," Jack said reassuringly.

I opened my mouth to protest again but Spot cut me off.

"Holler will be completely safe and so will you guys. Besides, I doubt that Night even knows that Holler's been "captured" yet," Spot added.

"They have more ears than you think," I said quietly, looking off to the side.

I knew Holler already knew that I'd told Night about his betrayal and that Night was now out for Holler's head so that comment was my warning to Holler not to get cocky.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Holler said, his eyes challenging me.

I couldn't come up with any more arguments that wouldn't spark the Newsies' suspicion so I just sighed.

"I guess it's fine," I conceded.

Jack smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be fine Actor. You'll see," he said before walking away.

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of everything," Spot added on.

I forced myself to smile at him like I believed what he said. I could tell he wanted to say more but Holler was still standing there so he just followed Jack out the door.

I turned my attention to Holler who was grinning like an idiot.

"Mind telling me what that was for? Are you trying to keep an eye on me?" I asked in a dangerously sweet voice.

"Just worried for you sweetheart. Can't have you running off to tell Night everything anymore," Holler replied, a broad grin stretched across his face.

"You think you can keep me from doing my job? Yeah right," I scoffed, dropping the nice act.

"Actually, yes, I do. You may be good but you can't escape from six other guys especially when two of them know all your tricks," Holler shot back.

He stepped forward so that he was right next to me and leaned down so that his mouth was right by my ear.

"Besides, Break told me he caught you trying to spy on a Newsie meeting. You seem to be losing your touch. I'm not worried at all," he said in a low voice.

I tensed up at the mention of that incident and let out a low growl. Holler just straightened up and walked away laughing. I fought to keep the anger off my face even after he had left the building. This was beyond frustrating. They wanted to try and keep me away from the Black Kings? Bring it on. I would get past them no problem.

/

By the end of the week I wanted to scream until my head popped off.

Unfortunately, Holler had been true to his word. He'd kept tabs on me all the time along with Break. No matter what I couldn't get away with both of them watching me like hawks. On top of that I had to deal with Mush, Race, Spot, and Jack either when selling or walking back. And don't even get me started on trying to sneak out at night. The girls had been paying more attention to me recently because of my breakdown last week so I was forced to spend time with them. The only time I'd been able to sneak away from them Break had been waiting right outside to stop me and send me right back inside like a child that had been scolded.

Every night I wrote a note to give to Night if I ever got the chance but so far all I had was five notes I'd had to burn so that no one would ever find them. One of them had even been taken away by Holler who had pickpocketed it off of me. I couldn't believe it. He pickpocketed ME.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I hated the idea that Night thought I was a terrible spy or worse that I too had betrayed him but it was physically impossible for me to contact him. I was practically on my knees, praying that I would get a break.

Friday afternoon I sold with only Mush and Race for some reason. Break and Holler weren't there but I wouldn't have been surprised if they were just in the shadows, watching my every move. I finished selling before Mush and Race so I was currently leaning against a brick wall, watching the people pass by quickly. I'd finally adjusted to how busy and crowded it got around here during the day when the streets were packed with buyers and seller and pickpockets and thieves.

A cough from behind me caught my attention; it sounded too forced to be natural. Checking to make sure Mush and Race weren't looking, I slowly edged over to the entrance of the alley to my right where the cough had come from. I assumed that it was either Holler or Break that was checking to see how I was doing. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to either of them but some part of me said that I should check it out. Peering in the alley, I was shocked to see Slick (**A/N refer to Chapters 32 and 36 for a description of him**) standing partially in the shadows, casually leaning up against one of the walls. Casting a quick glance behind my shoulder to make sure that Mush and Race still weren't paying attention, I silently slipped into the alley.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, showing my surprise.

"Nice to see you too," Slick replied, pretending to look hurt.

"It really is good to see you Slick. You have no idea," I replied genuinely.

"Actually I kind of do," Slick said, pushing away from the brick wall, "We've been trying to get in contact with you but Holler and Break have been making that impossible for us. Night knows how difficult it's been for you so we were waiting for the right chance to contact you. Holler and Break finally stopped stalking you today so I seized the opportunity"

"That's good to know. I was worried that Night would think I was slacking off," I said, thoroughly relieved to hear the news.

"Do you have a note for him?" Slick asked.

"Yeah I do," I answered, drawing the folded up paper out of my pocket.

I held out the note and dropped it into Slick's waiting hand. He immediately closed his fingers around the note and stuffed it in his pocket. Now that Slick had the note it almost felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Night would know exactly what was going on and he wouldn't think that I was lazy or worse, a traitor.

"I should get back to selling before Mush and Race get suspicious," I said, feeling giddy now that my task was complete.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you around," Slick said, tipping his hat towards me.

I grinned at him before turning around and walking back towards the entrance of the alley, slipping into the crowds. I could tell that Race and Mush were so busy selling they hadn't even noticed my small absence. Casually, I settled into the same position I had been in before, leaning against the brick wall and watching the people walk by. A warm feeling of happiness was threatening to put a smile on my otherwise calm face. I'd managed to beat Holler and Break's little plan. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.

/

Slick waited until Actor had disappeared into the crowded street before opening up the note and reading it twice to make sure he had it committed to memory. Then, without any expression on his face, he slowly tore the note into shreds and dropped it into a nearby puddle, watching the writing dissolve in the water.

He almost felt bad for doing this to Actor; after all, she was trying so hard to help the Black Kings. And it was impressive that she had managed to slip past all of the Newsies as well as Holler and Break today. That was damn hard to do. However, he had chosen his side in this war and he wanted to see the Black Kings burn before the end of the summer. Whistling to himself, he calmly walked away with zero intention of telling Night that Actor had succeeded in passing on a note.

Down with the King.

**A/N Uh-oh Slick's changed sides. For those of you who went back to Chapter 36 to read about him you'll see that Slick met with Break at the end of the chapter and told Break that he was officially changing sides. This will be his first (but definitely not his last) act in accelerating the destruction of the Black Kings. **


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N FINALS SUCK. Thankfully I rocked mine but they still sucked. Hopefully everyone else who had to take them did well on them too! Also, Merry Christmas! Or a late Happy Hanukkah! This new chapter is my present to all of you And if you don't celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, well, you still get a present anyways so lucky you. **

After Mush and Race had finally finished selling we'd all started walking back towards the Lodging House together. Mush and Race mainly dominated the conversation and I listened half-heartedly. Although on the outside I might've seemed kind of bored, on the inside I was doing jumping jacks and cartwheels and everything. I was just so happy that I'd finally been able to pass a note off to a Black King for Night to get.

I was kind of lost in my thoughts when I noticed that Mush and Race had stopped abruptly. They were discussing something quietly and nodding their heads a few times. I looked around us and recognized the building we were standing next to as Medda's. What were they stopping here for? I didn't even think Medda had a show today. Race's voice shook me out of my thoughts.

"We have to go do something here Actor. You can keep going though," Race said.

I looked at him in confusion and didn't say anything so Mush piped up.

"Go on ahead without us," Mush said.

"But…" I started to protest.

"We'll catch up with you later," Race interrupted, waving me on.

They quickly ran inside of Medda's and shut the door behind them, leaving me standing there alone. I stayed where I was, completely confused. This entire week they had stuck to me like glue and now they were just ditching me like it was nothing. What the heck?

Shooting one last glance at the closed door, half-expecting the two of them to pop out again saying it was all a joke, I slowly turned to face forward again and started to walk away.

'_Well that was weird,'_ was all I could think.

As I walked down the street I stayed on high alert, constantly glancing all around to catch some sign of Race or Mush or any other Newsie. If this was some sort of prank there was no way in hell that I was going to let them get away with it.

About halfway down the street something gold caught my eye and I immediately focused in on it. Recognizing an all-too-familiar cane, my gaze traveled upwards as I took in the figure of Spot Conlon leaning against the brick front of a store. He was engrossed in something but from this distance I couldn't exactly figure out what it was. He had a flower in his hand and he kept on holding it out again and again while saying something but from this distance I couldn't make it out. Curious, I quietly crept closer, managing to avoid detection. When I was only fifteen feet away I decided to say something to grab Spot's attention since he was still in his own fantasy world.

"Waiting for someone?" I asked innocently.

Spot immediately jolted away from the wall and spun to face me, looking like I'd caught him off guard.

"Yeah I was," he replied, clearly flustered.

I tried to hide my smile but it was really funny to watch him.

"That's a pretty flower," I observed, looking down at the lily he was clutching in his hand.

"It's for you," Spot said quickly, holding it out for me.

I was actually shocked when he said that. No one had ever given me a flower before.

"Thank you," I managed to say, reaching out to take the lily.

It was a beautiful shade of white and smelled even better than it looked. My mother used to have a bottle of perfume on her dresser when I was little and it smelled just like a bouquet of lilies. I had always liked to put a few drops of it on myself so that throughout the day I could lift up my wrist to my nose and be able to pretend that my mom was standing right beside me. I think she knew that I did that but she never brought it up or stopped me so I kept on doing it up until the day I left home. It was my favorite smell so I held the flower up to my nose and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent and the happy memories it brought back, even if just for a second.

"Lilies are my favorite," I said softly, drawing the flower away from nose to admire it.

"I'm glad you like it," Spot said, sounding very relieved.

"I love it," I replied, looking up at him and smiling.

Spot's smile widened into a broad grin and he looked very pleased with himself. I briefly wondered if he'd just bought me a lily on a hunch or if Jack had somehow remembered our mom's perfume and told him to buy it. Not that it really mattered, though. It was really sweet of him to do this.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to the Lodging House. I've got to talk to Jack about some stuff," Spot said, trying to sound casual.

"Oh. Ok," was all I could reply, forcing a smile on my face.

As he turned to leave I felt a weird feeling go through me. I didn't want Spot to leave me. I wanted him to stay here and be next to me.

"Spot," I called out before I could stop myself.

He immediately stopped walking and turned back to face me. I thought I could see a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Mush and Race actually left to go see a performance of Medda's and I know that Jack would freak out if I was walking all alone around Manhattan," I rambled, feeling my cheeks growing red.

"So," I took a deep breath and gathered up my courage, "Would you mind walking me back to the Lodging House?"

"I would be honored," Spot said, bowing low.

My face broke out into a huge smile and I quickly walked over so that I was standing next to him.

"Shall we?" Spot asked in a playfully hoity-toity tone.

"Of course," I replied smoothly, unable to keep the grin off my face.

The walk back to the Lodging House was so much fun. We talked and joked around the entire time, exchanging horror stories from selling. Of course since he had been selling longer he had more of them and they were a lot funnier than mine. I swear I spent half of the walk doubled over in laughter while Spot recounted the time he had been caught stealing by the bulls on the docks but had managed to get away after one of the officers slipped and fell into the river, pulling the other one in after him.

The trip seemed to take a lot shorter than usual, however, because suddenly we were standing in front of the Lodging House. I hadn't even noticed that we had turned onto this street half a block down. I was about to walk up the steps but Spot lightly touched my shoulder to hold me back. I looked down at him in surprise.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Spot asked abruptly.

"Umm, I don't think so," I replied, caught off guard.

"Would you like to see something fun?"

"I guess so. What is it?" I replied hesitantly, although my curiosity was piqued.

"It's a surprise," Spot answered mysteriously, "Meet me here at midnight,"

With that he turned and opened the door, walking inside and leaving me standing outside in a state of shock. Well that was unexpected. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed him inside, closing the door behind me. He was already at the top of the stairs by the time I hit the landing so I just made my way up the stairs slowly. It's not like I had anywhere important to be.

From the loud shouts in the boy's bunkroom I could tell that everyone was back from selling already. I vaguely wondered if Mush and Race were back but waved away the thought. I'm sure they were still at Medda's enjoying whatever show was going on right now, if there even was one.

I passed by the boy's bunkroom and headed for the girls' room, intent on putting my flower away so that no one could stop and ask me about it. Of course, when I opened the door to the girls' bunkroom I saw every single girl sitting in there talking. They all turned to look at me when I walked in and immediately their eyes zeroed in on the flower I was holding before I could even try to hide it.

"Is that a flower?"

"It's so pretty!"

"Where'd you get it?"

"Who's it from?"

"Tell us Actor!" 

The questions flew from all directions as I quickly walked over to my bed and laid the flower down carefully behind the pillow, hiding it from sight. I stayed standing there with my back to the girls, pretending to fix the buttons on my shirts. Eventually the questions became too insistent though so I relented and figured I could answer at least some of them.

"It's from a boy," I replied vaguely.

"Why won't you tell us who?" Tear complained.

"It's not important," I countered playfully.

"I bet it's Spot Conlon," Rose declared.

"And what makes you think that?" I asked, glad they couldn't see the shock on my face.

"It's easy. I've seen Spot's past girlfriends, if you can even call them that, come and go quickly. But around you…around you Spot's different. He's more careful, like he doesn't want to do something wrong. He always straightens up when you walk in the room. And the way he looks at you…it's like no one else is there," Rose finished.

I couldn't even form a reply to that. I stood there speechless, my mind processing what she'd just said. I didn't doubt her words; she'd already proven that she was more attentive than most people gave her credit for.

I pivoted around to face them and was shocked to see all of the girls staring at me expectantly.

"Well maybe you're a little bit right," I mumbled, blushing a bit.

The girls all laughed and cheered when I said that and Rose ran up to give me a big hug. I just laughed and hugged her back, wondering what Spot had planned for tonight.

/

_In the boy's bunkroom_

Spot managed to slip into the room relatively unnoticed since everyone's attention was on the fake boxing match going on in the middle of the room between two of his Brooklyn Newsies. He caught sight of Race and Mush on the other side of the room and quickly wove through the crowd to get to them, nodding occasionally at the people who said hi to him.

He grabbed a chair on his way over and threw it in between Race and Mush's seats, sitting down on the chair backwards with his arms and chin resting on the back of the chair.

"Good match?" he asked, finally catching the attention of the two Newsies.

"Look, you made it back," Race commented, a knowing grin on his face.

"How'd it go?" Mush asked eagerly.

"It was good," Spot said as casually as he could, fighting to keep his face calm.

"Did she like the flower?" Race pressed.

"Yep, she did," Spot responded.

"And the date thing?" Mush asked.

"Tonight," Spot said with a grin, unable to contain his excitement anymore.

"Attaboy Spot!" Race chuckled, patting him on the back.

"Yeah I'm glad this is working out. She's a great girl," Mush agreed.

"She's amazing," Spot said, remembering how happy Actor had looked when she got the flower, a soft smile creeping onto his face without him even realizing it.

Mush and Race exchanged a look behind Spot's back and broke out into broad grins. They couldn't be happier for their two friends.

**A/N Also, I don't really know if they had lilies in New York in the early 1900s but we can just pretend for the sake of the story, right? Thanks **


	48. Chapter 48

Midnight couldn't come quickly enough.

That was all I could think as the hours seemed to crawl by. I'd wasted some time by watching the boys have boxing matches with one another but even that wasn't enough to fully distract me. Of course, Rose and Tear who were standing next to me noticed that I was a bit fidgety and asked me what was wrong. Unable to hold it in anymore, I dragged the two of them into the hallway and told them that Spot was taking me somewhere around midnight. They started squealing and gushing about how Spot was taking me on a date. I quickly protested that it wasn't a date but couldn't keep the smile off my face at the thought of it. The two girls immediately promised that they would stay up with me until midnight and even said they would help me look better for the date. Again I protested the idea but when those two set their minds to something there is no changing their course. The best I could do was make them promise not to tell any of the other girls to keep more rumors and stuff from spreading. Not that I didn't trust them, it's just that in a small Lodging House it wouldn't be hard for the boys to overhear something and then I'd be dealing with Jack or Break or someone asking me all sorts of questions. Or worse, preventing me from going.

Rose and Tear managed to keep me distracted for most of the night until it was time for my "date" with Spot. They wanted to give me a makeover before it but I firmly refused. They kept nagging, however, and eventually we settled on letting them darken my lashes and do my hair and that was it. They combed my hair after taking it out of the usual braid, turning it into soft waves. Rose even brought out a tiny bottle of perfume that Medda had given her as a present and dabbed a small amount on me despite my protests.

Once they deemed me ready we basically sat around in the empty room across from the girls' bunkroom, staring at the clock. We didn't want to keep the other girls up while waiting for it to turn midnight and in the empty room we were able to debate where Spot was taking me. After the minutes managed to crawl by, it was finally time for me to meet up with Spot. Tear and Rose wished me luck and giggled as I walked out the door, causing me to roll my eyes at them.

I carefully walked down the stairs and looked around for some sign of Spot but he wasn't there so I figured he must be waiting outside. I quickly ran down the rest of the steps and came to a stop in front of the door, pausing for a moment to catch my breath. I self-consciously smoothed down my hair even though I didn't have a mirror and straightened up. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pushed the front door open and stepped out onto the top step. Instinctively I looked around and Spot's figure caught my eye, leaning against the brick wall only a few feet from the door. He looked up at me expectantly and I could tell that he'd slicked his hair back nicely for this. Suddenly I was extremely grateful for letting Tear and Rose talk me into doing my hair for this date.

"You came," Spot said, sounding like he'd half-expected me to not show up.

"Of course!" I replied, trying not to betray how nervous I was also.

Spot tried to regain his composure and looked me up and down.

"Your hair looks great. And so does the rest of you of course," Spot said quickly, looking a bit flustered still.

I'd never seen the King of Brooklyn look so caught off guard and the sight made me smile.

"Thanks," I replied shyly, "You look great too,"

Spot smiled broadly and gestured with his hand down the street.

"Shall we get going then?" he said, imitating our hoity-toity act from earlier today.

"Of course," I replied, although I was so anxious I could feel my heart racing.

Here goes nothing.

/

_At the Black King HQ_

Slick slipped into the room quietly, closing the door just slightly in case he needed to get away quickly. Night's temper had gotten increasingly worse over the past week and from what Slick had heard Actor hadn't been the only one on the receiving end of one of Night's tirades.

Night was sitting at his desk once again, reading over the notes he had received from all of his birdies over the course of the day. Slick knew that at least half of those were fake but of course he would never tell Night that. Still, judging by the furrow of Night's brow and the confusion on his face it was clear that Night could tell that something was wrong with the notes. Slick made a mental note to tell the other "traitors" still in the Black Kings that they needed to be more consistent and careful with the information they were sending back.

Slick stood there with his usual straight posture, waiting for Night to finish reading everything. Night, of course, took his sweet time finishing up, Slick noted with some annoyance.

Finally, Night put down the last note and looked up at Slick. Slick could see how much of a toll this war was taking on Night by the bags under his eyes but Slick felt no pity for him.

"Any news?" Night asked.

"Not much. Holler has popped up a couple of times around Manhattan but always in broad daylight and always surrounded by Newsies," Slick recited.

Slick could see Night tense up at the sound of Holler's name but didn't say anything so Slick took that as a sign to continue.

"Other than that it's been pretty quiet. Only a few fights here and there, mostly with some of those Street Fish. What I've been hearing mostly is that the Newsies and Street Fish keep meeting. Apparently they're planning something big," Slick said.

Night stayed silent for a few seconds to absorb the information before continuing the conversation.

"And you still haven't heard anything from Actor yet?" Night questioned.

"Nothing," Slick lied smoothly, remembering how he'd disposed of the note from her when she thought it was going straight to Night.

"Hmmm," was all Night said in reply, looking down at the notes scattered over his desk.

Night fell silent and continued to look over the notes again and again while Slick just stood there. Slick felt a bead of sweat slide down the back of his neck as a small ball of fear began growing inside of him. Had Night found out about his deception? Why wasn't Night doing or saying anything?

After a pause that was far too long in Slick's opinion, Night finally spoke again.

"Send Executioner in here. He should be outside in the hallway right now," Night said calmly, dismissing Slick without looking up.

Slick nodded his head as a reflex before turning and walking out of the room, trying not to do it too quickly. True to Night's word, when Slick opened up the door he saw Executioner casually leaning up against the wall directly across from the room, playing with his switchblade. Although Executioner didn't stand out in height or build or even facial features, he had an unquestionable reputation in the gang as the guy who disposed of or dealt with anyone who stepped out of line. Traitors and deserters were somewhat of a specialty of his.

"Night wants to see you now," Slick stated.

Without even glancing at him, Executioner straightened up and dropped his switchblade back into his pocket before striding past Slick into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Slick let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding before turning and practically jogging away down the hallway. Executioner had always given him the creeps and although he was fairly confident that his secret was safe, he couldn't help but worry that Night was in there putting a hit on his head right now. Slick wanted to stay and listen but he knew from years of experience that unless Night was yelling at the top of his lungs, that room was basically soundproof.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what poor soul was about to face the wrath of the Executioner.

/

Executioner stood by the door, listening intently for the sound of Slick's footsteps as the guy walked away. He took note of how fast Slick was walking and smiled slightly with satisfaction knowing that he still caused terror even among the veteran gang members. Once he was certain Slick had left he turned to face Night and took a few more steps into the room. Night had been studying the notes on his desk still but looked up at the sound of Executioner's footsteps.

"You called?" Executioner asked casually, feeling a twinge of excitement thinking about what Night was going to have him do.

"I have a problem that needs to be taken care of. Nothing too serious, I just need you to cause a little chaos and teach someone a lesson. I want this to send a message," Night explained seriously.

"Just tell me what to do," Executioner replied with a knowing grin.

/

"So where exactly are we going?" I asked Spot as we walked through the dark streets of Manhattan.

"It's a secret," Spot replied with a small smirk.

I sighed and rolled my eyes but I was very curious to see where we were going. I could tell we were heading in the direction of the bridge but I didn't think that Spot would be taking me all the way to Brooklyn for something.

We fell into silence for most of the trip although I wasn't very surprised. It was much better to not talk when the streets were so quiet to avoid attracting attention. Apparently that was a lesson both Black Kings and Newsies learned. Even if we had been able to talk I'm not entirely sure what I would've said. I was nervous and I could feel my cheeks heating up even without saying or doing anything.

After a while we finally turned onto an all-too-familiar place: the Manhattan docks. I stopped short in surprise when I saw them; I'd been so nervous about this date with Spot that I hadn't been really paying attention to where we'd been walking towards. Immediately I flashed back to the times I'd met up with Night and Holler on these docks and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Night… I should be working for him right now. Instead I was on a date. And Holler. Seeing the docks also brought back the anger I still had over Holler turning traitor.

"You ok?" Spot asked, his voice betraying some apprehension.

I finally snapped out of my thoughts and forced a smile on my face despite the conflicting emotions inside.

"Yeah! I'm just surprised, that's all," I replied quickly.

"Well the real surprise hasn't even happened yet," Spot said, grinning.

He made a movement as if to take my hand but quickly pulled back.

"Come on," he said casually, trying to cover up his previous action.

He turned and started walking down past the docks. I followed, feeling a bit of disappointment that he hadn't grabbed my hand. As we walked past the docks, I couldn't suppress my old habit and counted them off one by one in my head. When we reached the 20th dock, Spot turned to walk down it. I shot a guilty glance at the 21st dock to our left, where Night used to always have his meetings. I wished we weren't so close to it but I said nothing and just continued to follow Spot. When he reached the very end he found two crates and pulled them over so that they were right next to one another.

"Come sit down," he said, gesturing towards the crates.

I walked over and sat down on the right one, looking out over the river. The water looked black and barely reflected the few lights that shown on its glassy surface that occasionally rippled with a rogue wave here and there. I'd almost forgotten how peaceful the water could be when it wasn't being constantly churned up by boats during the day. Even noisy, abrasive Brooklyn had finally quieted down for the night.

"Actor," Spot said suddenly, grabbing my attention, "Look over there"

I followed where he was pointing towards and made out a dark shape on the river, moving silently. It was rather big so I guessed that it was a supplies ship but it only had lights on in the very front and very back.

I was about to ask Spot what was so special about the boat when suddenly a light turned on in one of the windows. Then two more. And then four more. More lights sprang up all around the boat until it shown like the sun, even lighting up the pitch-black water surrounding it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and just stared at it in surprise.

"It's a boat that carries supplies further up the river. I don't know what its name is but it comes once every week after midnight. I'm not sure when they started to do the light show but I always come out here to watch it ever since I saw it for the first time," Spot explained, gazing at the boat that was still flickering with dozens of lights.

"Wow…" I breathed, taking in the sight.

We stayed silent as it slid past quietly on the water, barely making a sound. I watched it as it traveled along and headed past the Brooklyn Bridge, even straining my neck to try and make out the faint afterglow of the lights on the mysterious ship after it disappeared out of sight.

"That was beautiful," I said faintly, still looking after the ship.

Spot didn't respond right away but I was too lost in my own thoughts about the shining boat to really notice.

"Actor," Spot said taking a deep breath.

"Yes?" I said, turning my attention back towards him.

"I know that when we first met, I was a bit of a jerk to you," Spot started to say.

I smiled at the memory, remembering how freaked out I had been to literally run into him in the Lodging House and how I thought he was the biggest jerk ever at first.

"I didn't trust you and I didn't know what to make of you," he continued, "I was suspicious and didn't think you were good for the Newsies. But as I got to know you I found out why you were so guarded. You had a tough life and you were right, you did what you had to in order to survive. I have no right to judge you for that,"

I looked at him in surprise. Where was this confession coming from?

"What I want to say is…" Spot said nervously, "I think you are a very strong girl. No matter what you have to deal with you find a way to survive. I really like that about you. And you care about others. You want them to be happy and to not hurt which was surprising for me. I know that sounds bad but just coming from your past and all I expected you not to care…"

Spot continued to ramble on but at some point I stopped listening. I was too fixated on how he looked and acted, nervous as hell yet so cute. Spot was twice the man that I'd ever known before. I couldn't remember a single guy that ever fought for me before or looked at me the way he did.

I decided in that moment to hell with everything and threw away my last shred of sense. I knew what I really wanted for once in my life. So I leaned over and kissed Spot on the lips, silencing his rambling. He tensed up in surprise at first but quickly melted into the kiss. He took control of it and gently cupped the back of my head with one hand, wrapping the other arm around my waist to pull me closer. I gladly obliged and grabbed the front of his shirt tightly, loving the way his arms embraced me. My heart was going so fast that I thought for sure I would die of happiness here on this dock.

Finally, we both broke the kiss, not because we wanted to but because we needed air. We sat there silently, our foreheads touching as we both tried to steady our breathing. I had just gotten my heart rate under control when Spot pulled back slightly to look at me seriously. I just looked back at him with curiosity, waiting for him to speak.

"Will you be my girl?" he asked abruptly.

His question caught me off guard and I took a moment to think it over. The idea sounded great but as much as I wanted it I couldn't deny the fact that I was still spying for Night and I don't think he would want me to get distracted by some romance on the side. Plus trying to have a relationship in the middle of a war didn't seem very appealing anyway.

"I…I don't think I can right now. Not with everything that's going on. But I do like you Spot. Really," I said, smiling softly.

Spot nodded his head, accepting my answer.

"I understand. Just promise me you won't fall for any other guy?" he asked, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together.

Spot's hands were much rougher than mine after years of selling and fighting but I kind of liked the way they felt. He was very gentle but I felt like he could protect me no matter what. I felt…safe.

"I promise," I said sincerely, giving his hand a small squeeze.

Spot smiled back at me and I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this happy.

Maybe for once something could go right for me.

**A/N HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! Well technically that isn't for about 22 more hours for me but I figured that I'd wish you guys it anyway. This is my last chapter of the year but I'm very excited about the chapters that are coming out next year (wow that sounds really weird…). Anyway hope you all have a great time no matter what you end up doing and thanks for all the support this past year! I couldn't have done it without you. Also, a shout out to ****Percyjacksonfangirl11, yes I did do well on my finals! Thanks for the confidence boost **


	49. Chapter 49

The next day, I was able to sell by myself since my usual partners had other business to attend to and couldn't come and sell with me. Even Break and Holler didn't show up at all. Which was fine with me because I didn't think I could come up with a good lie as to why exactly I was so happy. After the docks last night, Spot and I had walked back to the Lodging house just as silent as we'd been before but this time we'd held hands. When we got back Spot stopped me on the steps and gave me a sweet good night kiss, which I gladly returned. Then we quietly slipped into the silent house and parted ways, going into the bunkrooms to finally get some sleep.

I was woken up by Rose and Tear shaking me, trying to contain their excitement. I smiled and told them I'd tell them everything about last night on the walk over to the distribution center. Of course they complained so I got ready as quickly as possible and the three of us practically ran down the stairs. On the walk over I told them everything that had happened and they were practically squealing with happiness by the time I finished. Their happiness infected me and I was smiling broadly when we reached the distribution center. After I'd gotten my papes I hadn't been able to find Jack or anyone else to sell with so I'd just headed off on my own to the usual spot to do some selling. Without four other boys to compete with selling had gone relatively smoothly. It also helped that one of the major headlines involved a fire of course.

Now I was walking back towards the Lodging House, looking forward to relaxing tonight and maybe talking to Spot again. I'd just turned onto Randolph Street when a big group of boys rounded the corner at the opposite end of the street. Squinting, I was able to make out Jack, Spot, Race, Holler, Break, and another boy who could have been Mush but I wasn't entirely sure.

I waved to the boys, unable to contain my smile at seeing them. Well, mainly at seeing Spot. But none of them needed to know that just yet. They all raised their arms to wave back and I could tell the group picked up pace slightly.

I was passing by an alley when I felt an all-too-familiar cold chill run through me and the smile dropped from my face. Slowly turning to look at the alley, I barely registered the black-clad figure standing next to me before it reached out and grabbed me. I tried to lift up my arms to defend myself but my reflexes were too slow. Two hands clamped down on my arms and dragged me into the alley before I could even shout out in surprise. The two hands that dragged me into the alley almost immediately released me and pushed me further into the alley. I stumbled a bit but quickly straightened up, unsure what to expect.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

Standing only a few feet in front of me was Executioner. Even though he had joined after me I was still terrified of him. There were plenty of stories and rumors of what he had done on Night's orders. I'd even had some close friends of mine disappear in the middle of the night and never show up again. That meant that his presence right now was a very, very bad thing.

"Hello Eclipse," Executioner said.

I just stood there and stared at him in surprise.

"Lovely to see you again," he continued casually.

"Good to see you too," I replied cautiously, unsure how to react.

"You remember Gate of course?" he asked, nodding behind me.

I glanced back to see Gate towering behind me. He must've been the one to drag me into this alley. I shot him a confused look but he didn't even glance down at me once.

"Unfortunately we don't have a lot of time. Pretty soon those Newsies will get here. Gate," Executioner explained, almost business-like.

Before I could ask any questions Gate grabbed my arm again and dragged me over into a very small alley that ran off to the side, separating the building next to us in half and completely hiding us from the view of anyone else in the bigger alley. Gate kind of pushed me up against the wall and leaned backwards try and catch a glimpse of Executioner again. The alley was so narrow that he couldn't even take a step back. I quickly seized the chance to try and figure out what was going on.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, completely confused.

"Dealing with a traitor," he replied tersely.

"Who, Holler? Or Break?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"You," Gate answered, looking me straight in the eye.

"Me?" I repeated, now completely shocked, "But…I'm not a traitor…"

"That's not what I've heard," Gate countered.

"Well what have you heard?" I demanded, starting to worry.

"I've heard that you don't care about the Black Kings anymore. That you spend all of your time with the Newsies and now you want to be one. And that you haven't even bothered to send Night a note in a week," Gate recited coldly.

"That's not true! I've been trying to talk to Night all week! I gave a note to Slick to give to Night, I swear!" I said desperately, holding up my hands defensively.

"I don't believe you," Gate replied indifferently.

"Ask Slick! He'll tell you the truth," I pleaded with Gate.

"We already talked to him. He says that you haven't even bothered to try contacting Night all week. That you're too busy hanging out with those Newsies," Gate sneered.

"That's a lie!" I argued, "I haven't been able to contact Night because Holler, Break and the other Newsies have been watching me constantly. They won't let me out of their sight, I couldn't get away!"

The next thing I knew Gate grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved me up against the brick wall. I let out a small gasp and instinctively my hands clutched his arm.

"Gate you have to believe me," I said seriously.

"I try not to make a habit of believing traitors," Gate said, glaring at me.

"C'mon Gate, you know me! I'm not some sort of traitor," I protested desperately.

Gate ignored me and turned his head to look back into the alley. I couldn't see Executioner anymore but I could clearly hear his voice as well as the voices of the other Newsies that had finally reached the alley.

"You!" I heard Holler say in surprise.

"Why hello there Holler. Fancy seeing you here," Executioner replied in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"The final part of the trial," Executioner replied coolly, using his favorite line.

We always liked to say in the Black Kings that Night was the Judge and Executioner was, well, the Executioner. There wasn't a Jury in our gang.

"Where's Actor?" I heard Spot ask demandingly.

"Actor? Who's that?" Executioner said in mock confusion, "Oh you must mean her!"

I quickly looked at Gate pleadingly to try and stop whatever they had planned but clearly Gate had other ideas. His hand moved up to my neck and he lifted me into the air. Almost immediately I could feel my air supply cut off as he stepped around the corner and back into the alley, still carrying me high in the air. I heard a collective gasp from the Newsies when they saw me but I was too concentrated on scratching at Gate's hands in an attempt to stop choking. He was standing just far enough away that my legs couldn't reach him to kick him, something we'd unfortunately been taught as Black Kings. I could feel less and less air getting to my lungs and I started to panic, trying desperately to wriggle out of his grip.

"Let her go!" I heard Spot say angrily.

"Or else what Brooklyn? You willingly got your borough dragged into this. These are the consequences," Executioner replied, chuckling.

"What do you want?" Jack asked, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he'd stepped forward.

"Her," Executioner answered smoothly.

"You can't have her!" Race objected suddenly.

At that point the voices started to blur together as black spots started to fill my vision. The pain in my chest was starting to be too much and the bases of my eyes were starting to hurt like they wanted to pop out. My frantic attempts to get away from Gate started to falter as I began to lose consciousness and I felt my limbs becoming too heavy to move. I couldn't make out distinct voices anymore and was on the verge of letting the darkness overwhelm me.

'_Night…would you really let me die?' _was the only thought running through my head as I hung there limply.

Suddenly I felt myself falling and hit the ground hard. I stayed completely still on the ground, gasping for air as it finally returned to my lungs. The black spots receded from my vision but I still felt woozy from the lack of air and my limbs felt extremely heavy. I don't think I could've moved even if I wanted to at that moment. Instead, I practically drank in the air and even the dust on the ground as I tried to force as much as I could in my lungs again. My hearing came back too and I managed to catch Executioner say one last thing.

"Here's a little goodbye gift," Executioner said, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Suddenly I felt something connect with my stomach and all of the precious air I'd managed to force in my lungs left me again suddenly. That feeling only lasted briefly, however, as I flew backwards and connected hard with the brick wall behind me. There was a quick spike of pain before I faded away and let the darkness consume me.

/

"Actor!" Jack cried out, rushing to her side after Executioner and Gate had somehow disappeared into the limited shadows of the alley.

Sometimes it actually frightened him at how good the Black Kings could move unseen. But that was the least of his worries at the moment. Right now he had to focus on his little sister who had just been choked in front of him and then kicked against a wall.

He turned her over and immediately knew that she had been knocked out cold.

"Is she alright?" Race asked frantically.

"She's been knocked out," Jack replied, his voice slightly strained, "We need to get her back to the Lodging House right now"

"I can carry her," Break quickly offered, reaching down and scooping her up in his arms before anyone could say anything else.

"Let's go," Holler said, the strain also evident on his face.

Jack just sighed and nodded, running a face over his hand. He had been busy all morning talking stuff over with Spot and the other Brooklyn boys so he hadn't been able to sell with Actor today. Instead, he had planned to find her and walk her back to the Lodging House before meeting up with Striker to discuss more war plans. But now this…

Jack glanced over at Spot who had been hovering the entire time, his face as white as a sheet of paper. Jack knew that Spot liked his sister and had taken her on a date last night but Jack hadn't had the chance to ask him how it had gone yet. Although judging by how Actor, Rose and Tear had been almost giddy all day he thought it had gone pretty well.

Walking over to Spot, Jack put a hand on his shoulder. Spot turned to look at him with his usual poker face that was marred by the evident anger in his eyes.

"She'll be ok," was all Jack could say to Spot before the two of them followed everyone else out of the alley.

But even he wasn't sure if he believed what he was saying. Actor was clearly a target of the Black Kings. Could he, hell, could anyone really protect her from that kind of wrath? The Newsies plan to hurt the Black Kings may be working well, but Jack could only think of what someone had told him once when talking about snakes in the Wild West.

Even if they're cut off the head of a snake, it can still bite you.

/

The first thing I was aware of when I woke up again was the faint sound of voices around me. I couldn't make out individual voices so it just sounded like a steady buzz of words. I kept my eyes closed and just lay there, not even bothering to move. My head hurt like hell as well as my stomach and back. My limbs still felt a bit heavy, although the feeling was a lot better than before.

Honestly I just didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to have to face everyone with their pity and their questions and I especially didn't want to have to talk to Break and Holler who would understand more about the situation than anyone else. I just didn't have the energy.

When I couldn't stand the sound of the voices anymore, I slowly cracked open my eyes and let my eyes adjust to the light. I managed to carefully roll over on my side and let my legs slide off the bed. The sound of them hitting the floor immediately silenced the talking in the room for a second. My eyes were closed again in concentration, however, so I still didn't know who was in here with me.

"Les, go get Jack and the others. Tell them Actor woke up!" I heard someone say urgently.

"Yes!" Les' high-pitched voice squeaked back.

I heard the sound of the door opening and closing and footsteps running away as I slowly propped myself up on my elbows and looked around the room. It took me a second but I saw that I was on my bed in the girls' bunkroom. It was presently deserted except for Race, who must've been the person talking before.

"Race?" I managed to croak.

"I'm here Actor," Race said soothingly, rushing over to my side.

I slowly pushed myself the rest of the way up into a sitting position despite the throbbing pain in my skull.

"You shouldn't be sitting up," Race protested.

"Race," I said, my voice raspy and barely a whisper, "he choked me, he didn't break any bones. I can sit up just fine,"

Despite my words I couldn't help but wince as the movement also sent pain shooting through my stomach and back. I was sure I had bruises all over from getting kicked and hitting the wall. And I didn't want to know what my neck looked like.

"How'd you get stuck looking after me?" I whisper-asked.

"You took care of me after I got beaten to a pulp that one time. I'm glad to return the favor," Race said, smiling.

I managed a small smile back at him. Looking around the room again, I noticed that it was nighttime outside.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, slightly dreading the answer.

"About five hours," Race answered.

I made a noise that was somewhat like a "hmm" but said nothing else. Before I could ask another question the door flew open with a bang, causing me to flinch back. Race put a comforting hand on my shoulder and I was glad for it.

Standing in the doorway, breathing heavily like they'd just sprinted up the stairs, were Jack, Spot, Break, Holler, and amazingly Slick. Jack immediately crossed the room quickly and kneeled down in front of me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, clearly very worried.

"I've been better," I whispered back.

Jack's eyes immediately flashed with concern when he heard me speak.

"Actor, your voice…" Jack said.

"It'll be fine," I croaked.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go walking around by yourself. I should've been smarter. I should've protected you," Jack said, the pain in his voice evident.

"Jack it's okay," I replied hoarsely.

"No it's not! I need to be a better leader. I need to be a better b-" Jack cut off suddenly before he could say the word "brother" but I knew what he wanted to say.

"Jack," I said seriously, grabbing his hand so I had his attention, "this is what happens in war. I've seen it before. I already knew what the consequences would be for leaving the Black Kings. This is just as much my fault. So don't get distracted by it. You've got more important things to deal with"

"Actor…" Jack said, looking at me with a mixture of awe and sadness.

"I'll be fine, I promise," I said quietly, managing a small smile.

Jack smiled back slightly before getting to his feet. Race quickly walked over next to us and spoke to Jack.

"Come on Jack," Race said, clapping Jack on the back and starting to lead him away, "We need to go talk to Striker about finishing this war. The sooner it's over the better"

He finished talking by looking over his shoulder at me and I knew that I would be used as a martyr to inspire the boys to fight harder. I just hoped that Night knew what he had ignited among the Newsies and Street Sharks.

They two of them walked out of the room, but not before Race remembered that Spot was still in there. Looking back at Spot he asked,

"Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a second," Spot replied waving them away.

Race shrugged and followed Jack down the hallway, the two of them disappearing from sight. I knew Holler, Break, and Slick were still hovering in the corner of the room, waiting for their turn to talk to me. Still, I tried to ignore them as Spot kneeled down in front of me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked stiffly.

I noticed that he didn't make any move to hold my hand or anything and although I knew it was because there were others in the room I still felt a small pain in my chest that definitely wasn't from any of my injuries.

"I'll survive," I answered, somewhat more casual.

"Glad to hear it," Spot commented, nodding slightly.

I looked at him and could see the pain in his eyes. He was tearing himself up over the fact that he hadn't been able to protect me.

"Spot," I said gently, "don't you dare blame yourself for this. That was my past, not yours. Besides, I've dealt with worse before"

My words only made him furrow his brow even more.

"I'll protect you next time," he said seriously.

I stayed quiet for a second, regarding him sadly.

"Ok," was all I managed to say back.

I didn't have the heart to tell him how many "next times" there might be, especially since I was apparently a traitor to the Black Kings now.

"You should go meet up with Jack," I said, nodding my head in the direction of the door.

I didn't want Spot to leave but he had more important things to deal with right now than me.

"Alright," he replied before lowering his voice, "I'll come visit you later alright?"

I smiled as best as I could and he smiled back before straightening up and walking confidently out of the room, his Brooklyn attitude restored. I looked after him until the door closed before moving my gaze to the floor, waiting for one of the three guys in the corner to speak or do something.

I didn't have to wait long before I heard footsteps and Break appeared in front of me on his knees.

"Actor I'm so sorry," Break said, grabbing my hands and holding them tightly.

"I didn't think that…" Holler said, trailing off quietly.

"Actor…" Slick started to say, faltering slightly "If I had known that this was what Night was planning…"

I kept staring at the floor, trying not to look up at them. I didn't trust myself not to lose it if I started talking to them. The fact that Slick had betrayed me was on the tip of my tongue, threatening to slip out.

"Did they say why they attacked you?" Break asked quietly.

I stayed silent still, trying to figure out how to handle this.

"Actor you know you can tell us what really happened. What did Executioner and Gate say to you? Why did they attack you?" Holler asked, kneeling down next Break to look at me.

"They said it was to punish a traitor," I replied quietly.

"Cowards…" Break muttered.

"They couldn't even take us on face-to-face. They had to resort to beating up someone else that they could take down easier," Holler said angrily.

I ignored Holler's comment about me being easier to take down and opened my mouth to speak again.

"You guys weren't the traitor they were after," I rasped, drawing my hands out of Break's.

They looked at me in complete confusion.

"Then who was it? Who else did they think was a traitor?" Holler questioned.

I looked up at them and said dead seriously,

"Me"

The shocked look on their faces almost made me want to smile but I kept my poker face up and went back to looking down at my hands.

"Why would they think that?" Break asked.

"Yeah, you're one of the few people that actually isn't a traitor," Holler commented, the shock still evident in his voice.

"Because," I said shakily, standing up while gripping the top bunk and knocking away Break's hands when he tried to help, "my note to Night never actually made it to him"

I finished my sentence by looking straight at Slick. His eyes widened immediately in realization and a guilty look settled on his face.

"Actor," he started to say but I turned my back on all of them and walked over to the window, gripping the windowsill for support.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for-" Slick tried to say but I cut him off.

"Go away," I said.

My voice was clearly strained and cracked once but I said it loudly enough that they had to have heard me. There was dead silence in the room and I could feel the stares of all three of them drilling into my back. I wanted to cry so badly but instead I bit the inside of my cheek and blinked quickly to ward off the tears. Even more than crying, though, I wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of this Lodging House and leave behind everyone who had abandoned and betrayed and just overall disappointed me.

But against every instinct in my body I stayed in that room. I mean, where else could I go? They wouldn't have let me leave by using the excuse that I was injured and that it was dangerous outside since I'd just been attacked. So instead I stood there at the window long after I'd heard the footsteps of the boys leave the room without another word, looking out the window at the brick wall of the building next door until the colors all blurred together as tears slowly rolled down my face.

**A/N WOW I love this chapter. It was so much fun to write a lot of action in here and I'm happy with how it turned out. Just a warning though I'm headed back to school tomorrow and definitely will not be able to post another chapter until Monday, January 13****th**** AT THE EARLIEST because I have something I'm involved in that will literally take up every hour of the day. If by some miracle a chapter is posted earlier then that would be awesome. But unfortunately I can't promise anything :/**


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N Really sorry that this didn't get posted on Monday. Turns out that syllabus week was a lot busier than I thought it would be. But anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! And get excited for the next one because it is probably my favorite one yet **

I stood by the window until the tears finally stopped running down my face. I don't know how long it took without any sunlight to go by and quite frankly I didn't really care. I just remained frozen in place there, feeling the dull pain from my injuries still throbbing throughout my body. The pain in my chest was the worst of all though. It was a constant pain that kept on getting worse as I replayed every single memory again and again of every time I'd been lied to or deceived or pushed around. Every time when someone had reminded me that I was a stray that'd been picked up and used for someone else's advantage. And every time that someone had been selfish and left me behind in the dust to suffer. Today was just one of many times I'd been mistreated. Frankly I was starting to get sick of it.

The more I thought about it, the more my sadness was replaced with anger. Anger at Break, Holler, Slick, Jack, Race, Night… I was angry at everyone. They never did anything to help me. They thought they were looking after me and protecting me but really they were just chaining me up and trying to make themselves feel better. I wasn't what mattered to them; they just liked that they felt like good people when they "helped me out". Well I didn't need them.

'_I wish I had never volunteered to spy on the Newsies_' I thought sourly, '_And I wish that I didn't have to stay in New York anymore_'

"Actor?"

A voice broke me out of my train of thoughts but I didn't turn around to see who it was.

"Yes?" I answered.

"How are you doing?" I recognized the voice as Race's but didn't have the energy to pretend to be nice right now.

"That's kind of a stupid question right now Race," I replied, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

"Right…sorry," Race replied, sounding caught off guard, "Well, can you come downstairs for a second?"

"What for?" I asked.

"Jack's having a meeting with Brooklyn and the Street Sharks. They want you to come down," Race replied.

"Why?" I asked, finally turning around to look at Race.

"Jack told them about the attack. Striker wants to hear it from you himself," Race explained.

I immediately shook my head.

"No," I replied firmly.

Well, as firmly as I could with a distorted voice.

"C'mon Actor," Race pleaded.

"No. I won't do it," I refused stubbornly.

"Why not? What's the harm in telling Striker what happened?" Race argued, stepping into the room.

"Because they'll twist the story. They'll use it to rally everyone," I replied.

"And what's wrong with that?" Race demanded bluntly.

"I just…I just don't want to do it," I replied, waving him away.

"Actor they need you to do this! They have to know what happened!" Race protested.

"You don't need me," I said quietly, staring blankly at the wall.

My comment was mainly directed back at me than at Race. They didn't need me. I could leave this place and they would go on just fine, just like they always did.

"What are you talking about?" Race asked, sounding both confused and exasperated.

"Nothing," I replied shortly, looking back at him, "You said that they're all downstairs?"

Race just nodded his head, staring at me oddly. I ignored him though and crossed the room swiftly, passing him and going through the doorway without a second glance backwards. As I walked down the hallway I heard his footsteps following me but didn't say anything. We walked in silence the rest of the way down the stairs and turned the landing.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I paused and surveyed the living room. The boys had managed to push the old couches to the edge of the room and scrounged up enough tables and chairs to have a "meeting place". I saw Jack sitting next to an empty seat near the middle. Spot and the Brooklyn second-in-command were to Jack's right and on the other side were Striker and some of his top guys. Leaning against the far wall were Break, Slick, and Holler. There was an empty chair sitting directly across Jack that made the place look less like a meeting and more like an interrogation in my opinion. The boys had all turned to look at me when I hit the bottom of the stairs so I just stood there, looking back at them.

Race finally lightly placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded his head towards the table so I slowly walked over to the table and sat down at the empty seat, avoiding eye contact the entire time. Race took his place next to Jack and I waited until he was seated before I raised my eyes to meet my brother's gaze.

'_Brother…yeah right. You're the worst liar of them all,' _I thought bitterly, fighting to keep my face blank.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked coolly.

"Yeah. Striker wants to hear from you exactly what happened," Jack answered, motioning towards Striker.

I turned my gaze to the leader of the Street Sharks who nodded in agreement.

"Tell me everything that happened after you got pulled into the alley," Striker said.

"Well," I started to explain, "After I got yanked into the alley I looked up and saw Executioner standing there. I was surprised and uneasy because Executioner was always the guy in our gang who got rid of traitors and other people who were useless. He just said that it was "lovely to see me again" and pointed out Gate standing behind me. Gate is the one who usually guards the entrance to the headquarters. Then Executioner mentioned that they didn't have a lot of time before the Newsies reached us so Gate dragged me into a little side alley that was out of sight"

I paused at that point to consider my next words carefully. I couldn't tell them that the Black Kings had punished me for being a traitor. At least, not a recent traitor.

"Then what happened?" Jack asked, prompting me.

"Gate said that they were trying to punish Break and Holler for being traitors. They didn't think that they could handle taking on either of them so they went after an easier target instead," I replied bluntly, keeping my gaze locked on the table, "And they justified it by calling me a traitor as well"

"Aren't you? You've spied on the Black Kings for us before to get information," Striker cut in.

I stiffened up when he said that and clenched my jaw. Technically I was a traitor in their eyes but I hated being called that. I didn't want to be lumped together in the same category as Break and Holler.

"Then I guess I deserved what they did," I replied bluntly.

"Actor you didn't-" Jack started to protest.

"Is that it?" I interrupted him, "Is that everything you guys wanted to know?"

Jack looked shocked at my sudden change in attitude but just nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said slowly.

I didn't say anything but stood up and walked away, heading towards the door. By the time the guys realized that I was headed outside rather than up the stairs, my hand was already turning the knob.

"Actor you can't go outside by yourself! You just got attacked today!" Race protested.

I ignored them but heard Break say as I closed the door behind me,

"I'll go outside with her Jack,"

I didn't have to wait long at the bottom of the stairs outside before the door opened again, briefly flooding the area with light before abruptly closing again. I didn't turn around to look at him though. Break was just one more person on my long list of people I currently hated.

"Actor are you sure you're okay? You're acting very distant," Break asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged his hand away and took a step forward.

"No I'm not ok. But that's none of your concern," I replied tersely.

"It is my concern! You're still my friend and I care about you," Break protested.

I didn't reply when he said that so Break sighed and continued.

"Look I understand why you're upset. But you've held onto the Black Kings for long enough. It's time to let go. You can have a new family and a new life here with the Newsies. I just think that this is whole incident today was sign for you to move on. Clearly the Black Kings don't want you anymore. But we do," Break explained.

I scoffed at him internally. Like hell was I starting up a new life with the Newsies. And I was damn sure they wouldn't be my family. It annoyed me that Break would think that a life with these streets rats would make me "happy" or something.

I had already made up my mind about what to do, though, so I turned my head to look back at Night.

"I'm going to go visit Night," I stated clearly.

"What?" Night said, clearly stunned, "Actor, Night just put a hit on your head, going back to the headquarters now would be suicide!"

He made a move to grab my arm but I held up my hand to stop him.

"I am leaving this Lodging House and I am going to go see Night. You will not stop me, nor will you tell Jack or anyone else where I am actually going. Instead, you will lie and say that I went to stay at Medda's for the night. And that you walked me there," I said in a cool and collected voice.

Break looked at me in complete shock as I turned on my heel and headed off into the night. I was surprised that Break didn't try to stop me or come after me. I guess my little performance right then was enough to convince him that I still had a tough side to me. I was just so sick and tired of everyone treating me like a little kid. Enough was enough. It was time to finally straighten things out.

/

Break stood outside the Lodging House for a long time, mentally counting down the minutes it would've taken if he had actually walked Actor over to Medda's. He couldn't believe that he was doing this. He should've just grabbed her arm and dragged her back inside. How could he be so stupid? She'd been almost choked to death today and yet he'd just let her go waltzing off into the night to go visit the same guy who'd ordered her to be attacked in the first place. The least he could've done was follow her to make sure she got back alright. God he was stupid.

When Break was satisfied that enough time had passed, he slowly surveyed the empty street one last time before turning and opening the door to walk back inside. His entrance was noticed by Jack and Spot, the only two people left in the room at that point. They had been quietly but heatedly discussing something and stopped talking to look at him when he walked in, closing the door behind him.

"You guys were outside for a while," Spot commented tensely, trying to cover up his obvious annoyance.

Break almost wanted to roll his eyes at Spot but since Spot had actually been able to go on a date with Actor, he didn't feel like he had the right to judge Spot's jealousy. Hell, Break was the one who was actually jealous of Spot.

"Where's Actor?" Jack immediately asked, preventing Break from giving a sassy retort.

Break hesitated for a second before replying.

"Medda's,"

"Wait, what?" Jack asked, straightening up.

"She went to Medda's for the night. I walked her there," Break replied slowly.

"Why would you do something like that? How could you let her go?" Jack hissed at him.

"She wanted to go and wouldn't take no for an answer," Break defended himself.

"And you didn't stop her?" Spot asked angrily.

"I tried to but she just kept pushing me away. I figured it was better for me to just walk her there than risk her slipping away and going to Medda's by herself," Break answered.

"She managed to fight you off?" Jack asked, doubt evident in his voice.

"She didn't fight her way out earlier today," Spot commented quietly, although his tone was clearly more sorrowful than judgmental.

"She's terrified of Executioner. Hell, most of us from the Black Kings are. I wouldn't be surprised if she just froze up today. But when she wants to she can kick ass" Break lied, shrugging his shoulders.

Although he knew that Actor was in fact wary of Executioner, she wasn't scared enough of him to not be able to react. He knew that it wasn't that she couldn't fight off other Black Kings: she just didn't want to.

"Did she say why she wanted to go?" Jack asked.

"She said that she couldn't stay here tonight. She didn't feel safe. And she thought that Medda's would be one of the last places that they would look for her," Break lied smoothly.

By the looks on their faces, Spot and Jack were clearly troubled with the fact that Actor thought that the Lodging House wasn't safe but they didn't say anything.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now. We'll just go pick her up in the morning," Jack said in an exhausted voice, turning to walk away.

Spot followed after Jack but not before shooting a nasty glare back at Break. Break couldn't care less though. He knew that he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Not with Actor out there.

As he sat down in one of the chairs, he added this to the list of times he'd failed to protect someone.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N Just a heads up guys, this chapter is shorter than most of the others but IT IS AWESOME. At least I think so. So enjoy!**

I stood in front of Night's door, staring intently at the dull, chipped wood like I hadn't seen it a thousand times before. I was all alone in the hallway at the moment but I didn't know how long that would last. The entire building was eerily quiet right now though; normally at this time of night it was bustling with activity. It was just one more reminder for me that the Black Kings weren't exactly winning this war right now.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly reached out and grabbed the doorknob. I paused for a long while, trying to decide if what I was about to do was actually a good decision or not. Logic told me no but unfortunately people rarely listen to logic. Twisting the knob, I slowly pushed the door open and stepped into Night's office. It was dimly lit and the whole atmosphere just seemed heavier than normal. I quietly closed the door behind me and looked up to see Night hunched over his desk, reading something intently. He hadn't notice me yet and a small part of me wanted to back out of the room before he noticed that I'd even come in but instead I steeled myself for what I was about to do.

"Night…" I said quietly, almost afraid to speak.

Night looked up tiredly from his desk but immediately straightened up when he saw it was me. I could see the dark bags under his eyes clearly, evidence of how much of a toll this war was taking on him. I almost felt pity for him until I remembered the bruises on my neck.

We stayed in place with eyes locked, not saying a word. Now that I was here, I had no idea what I actually wanted to say to Night. Most of the reason for coming here was to escape that damned Lodging House and all the Newsies. Slowly, Night rose out of his seat and took a few steps so that he was standing next to the desk.

"Actor," he said in a surprisingly level voice, "What are you doing here?"

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came to mind so I shut my mouth and shrugged my shoulders helplessly instead.

"I put out a hit on your head and yet you still coming running back here? How can you be so loyal to me? I'm not even the one who brought you in off the streets. You don't owe me anything," Night asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"It doesn't matter. You looked after me for years. You've been a good leader. I see no reason why I should ever desert you," I replied.

Night stared at me for a few seconds and I saw something in his eyes change.

"I can't do this anymore," Night said abruptly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I mean I can't look after you anymore. I'm kicking you out of the Black Kings. Get out of here," Night said firmly, although his voice wavered towards the end.

"What?" I asked shakily, not sure if I'd heard him correctly.

"I said, I'm letting go of you. You are no longer a member of the Black Kings. Don't make me repeat myself again Eclipse," Night answered, his voice sounding just as shaky as mine.

"But…why?" I felt like everything was moving too fast all of the sudden and I couldn't think fast enough to keep up with it.

"Why? Isn't it obvious? You've been getting all cozy with the Newsies to the point that you can't even spy anymore. You've gone from being my best to one of my worst. You can't pass on notes to save your life. And to top it off you've been accused of being a traitor by people I actually trust," Night stated harshly, glaring at me.

"I'm not the traitor here!" I protested, gritting my teeth, "Holler and Break are traitors, but not me! They're the only traitors around here"

"HALF OF MY BIRDIES ARE TRAITORS ACTOR!" Night yelled suddenly, gesturing towards the notes littering his desk.

I flinched backwards at the sudden outburst and looked at him in shock.

"Half of the gang has either deserted or is pretending to work for me while really talking to the Street Sharks or Newsies. I don't have control anymore. I haven't for a while now. There's going to be a battle in three days that will be our final stand. And I can promise you now that the Black Kings will lose it. So I'm kicking you out. I don't need any more extra baggage weighing me down. I need to concentrate on putting up the best fight I possibly can, not looking after some spy that can't even evade a couple of Newsies," Night explained coldly.

"I could help you…" I said weakly.

"You're useless to me now," Night said, shaking his head, "The second the battle started you'd freeze up because you wouldn't want to betray us but you wouldn't want to hurt the Newsies either. They're your friends now. I can see right through you Actor"

I wanted to protest but something inside me told me that he was right. I didn't want to hurt the Newsies. Or any of the Street Sharks. But the anger and bitterness that was still inside me flared at the thought of being tossed out yet again. Enough was enough.

"No," I whispered, more to myself than to Night.

"What did you say?" Night asked sounding angry and tired.

"I said," I replied angrily, looking up and glaring at him, "no. You are not kicking me out of this gang. I have worked my ass off for too damn long to see this gang survive to get booted out now. I absolutely refuse to just get thrown out like some piece of trash"

"You don't have a choice," Night tried to argue but I cut him off.

"I'm so sick and tired of this! Everything keeps pushing me around and trying to tell me what to do because they think I can't handle stuff. When did I stop being the gang member that people feared and became some nothing Newsie who needs protection all the time?" I asked in exasperation.

"Look, I don't have time to listen to you right now. I've got bigger problems to deal with. Go back to your Lodging House," he said, turning sideways to ignore me.

"It's not my Lodging House. And out of everyone in this damned city, how could you let me go too?" I asked in a last attempt to persuade Night.

He continued to ignore me though and I felt frustration and anger and disbelief coursing through me. Nothing I said or did would change his mind at this point. Still, I couldn't bring myself to move my feet and walk out of this building forever though. Not without saying a few final things first.

"I'm leaving this city Night," I said before I could stop myself.

"What?" he replied, finally looking up to stare at me in surprise.

"I'm leaving this city," I repeated steadily, "I'm leaving New York"

"But why?" he asked, straightening up and taking a step towards me, "You could finally have what you never had before. A complete family. An actual home. You could even make amends with your brother"

I looked at him in disbelief before I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard that I doubled over in pain, letting it all out before I finally straightened up to look at an extremely confused Night.

"You really are just like everyone else Night," I said, shaking my head, "You assume that you know what I want. You think that because I lost my family and my home when I was little that all I want is to find a new one. And you were right to believe that the Black Kings wasn't either of those because it wasn't. At all. But you're also wrong to think that I want to find that with the Newsies. It's not all happiness and fun with them Night. I still don't trust them and I still don't feel like it's home there no matter how much I might laugh at one of Race's idiotic jokes. I feel trapped in that godforsaken Lodging House. All I want to do half of the time that I'm in there is leave!"

My voice rose throughout the entire speech until I was practically yelling at Night towards the end. Night opened his mouth to speak but I interrupted him, too angry at this point to let up on my words.

"And you think that I would rather choose the Newsies because my long-lost brother is with them," I continued, almost laughing again at this point at how ridiculous this whole thing was, "You think that I want to reconnect or some stupid thing like that because I finally found the brother that I once looked up to and loved. Well I don't love him anymore. Not since he left me and my parents without looking back once. I'm through with that so-called Cowboy"

We stood there in complete silence, Night frozen in place with one hand on the desk to steady himself and me standing there breathing heavily, my shoulders rising and falling after energy I put into that rant. I straightened up and continued talking, this time much calmer and steadier.

"You think like this because you look at me and assume that I can be saved or something. That out of the black pit that was this gang I could somehow crawl out and make a better life for myself. There's not always a happy ending like that Night. I'm not going to live some fairy tale with the Newsies where I have a new family and brother and I fall in love or something. I'm going to leave New York and settle someplace far away where the only thing I have left from this are my memories. And even those will fade eventually," I stated clearly.

Sighing, I steadied myself because deep down I knew that my next words would be the last words I ever spoke to Night.

"You can have your final battle. I won't do anything to help either side anymore. You were right in saying that I can't do anything to hurt either side. I don't care what happens. But… you will see me one more time after this. Just once more and then I'll be gone forever. So good luck I guess. With everything," I said, feeling the weight of what I was doing pressing down on me.

I was giving up on the Black Kings. I wasn't a traitor but I was just as bad as Break and Holler and everyone else who had lost faith. But somewhere inside of me I was content with my decision. I just had to give it some time before that small part of me finally won over in my heart and mind.

Pivoting around, I took a few steps over to the door and opened it. I lingered in the doorway for a second though before glancing back to see Night still staring at me. I couldn't think of anything else to say though so I just nodded back at him before closing the door. I could've sworn I saw his head move slightly to nod back at me but I couldn't be entirely sure. Not that it really mattered. I'd just ended the past decade of my life in less than an hour. I felt like laughing again but I held it all in as I slowly walked down the back steps of the building for the last time, running my hand against the wall the entire way down. Luckily I didn't run into anyone but I wasn't really surprised. Reaching the back door, I opened it and stepped outside, immediately feeling a light rain hitting me. It wasn't too bad but I held my palm out to make sure. This time I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Wasn't this what always happened in books or something? Whenever something sad happened the hero or heroine would walk around alone in the rain for a while, pondering their decisions and mistakes. But I was no heroine. And all I wanted to do was get to Medda's as fast as possible so that I didn't have the time to think about what had just happened. I headed off into the dark night now shrouded by a thin sheet of rain, knowing that if I glanced back once at the old building I wouldn't be able to continue walking away so calmly.

This, as they sometimes said in the papes, was the end of an era.

**A/N This chapter was probably pretty surprising for all of you. I was even shocked with myself when I was writing this. So feel free to leave a review or message me if you have any comments!**


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N I know it's been a while since I last wrote, I'm sorry. I've been super busy and sick and to make matters even worse, I literally had zero inspiration for this chapter. I pretty much sat and stared at the first line for about two weeks straight and couldn't come up with anything. So hopefully you guys like this chapter and hopefully my muses don't desert me again!**

I woke up the next morning in a daze, gazing blankly at the swirls of bright colors

I blinked slowly a few times and swiveled my head around the room to take everything in. The entire wall to my right was lined with dresses in every color made out of every fabric imaginable, with feathers and jewels sprouting off of them here and there. The line of dresses extended to cover the back wall and half of the wall to my left as well. My gaze finally rested on a white vanity set to my left, where I saw a girl staring back at me. Her hair was an absolute mess and there were deep bags under her eyes, much like I felt. I kept on staring at the girl, waiting for her to say something, until it finally hit me: that girl was me. It was my reflection.

'_God I look awful_' was my first thought.

But then everything clicked into place and I finally remembered where I was. Medda's. Of course. I'd come here after…

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the onslaught of tears and feelings of regret that were bound to show up after letting go of basically the past ten years of my life.

But…nothing came. I didn't feel anything. No sadness. No pain in my chest. No thoughts that I should go back and beg Night for my life back. But no happiness either. No contentment at having moved on or joy at being rid of the people who had turned on me.

I opened my eyes and blinked at my reflection, wishing she could explain to me why I felt like this. She didn't answer though. She just sat there, looking worn-down and exhausted.

I finally tore my eyes away and managed to swing my legs over the side of the couch so that I was sitting up properly. Every movement I made was careful; I was still unsure of how long this emotional calm would last. Slowly and wobbly, I managed to push myself up. My clothes were all wrinkled and messed up from having slept in them so I tried to smooth them out and redid a few of the buttons that had come undone. There. Now my clothes only looked like I'd slept in them for a few hours rather than the whole night.

I found my hair band lying on the couch from when it had come out of what used to be a braid. After a failed attempt at finger-combing the bird's nest on my head, I gave up and threw my hair in a messy excuse for a low bun. At least I had my cap to hide how badly it really was. Still, there was nothing to do about how absolutely exhausted I looked. I slapped my face a few times to wake up but I was sure no one would be convinced that I was ok today, no matter how good my performance was.

I took one step away from the couch before pausing abruptly.

Performance. My performance. The one I'd put on for the Black Kings for the past couple of months. But…now that I wasn't a part of the gang anymore…did I have to perform? I wasn't Eclipse anymore. That much was certain. But I wasn't Actor either. Actor was a lie, a part I played to get information from the Newsies. And now that I didn't have to spy anymore, what purpose did she have? To finally reunite with her long-lost brother? To become a Newsie and live the rest of her days selling papes? Who was she? And I couldn't exactly be Catherine either. She'd died a long time ago once I'd joined the Black Kings. I'd killed her off on purpose, never thinking that my past would catch up to me in the form of a tall boy with a cowboy hat.

I forced those thoughts in the back of my mind, refusing to dwell on them. Instead, I focused all of my attention on moving my legs and making it out of this awful and bright room. My feet led me down some hallways until I reached the main area of the theatre. On my left was the stage and all in front of me was a sea of empty tables.

"Actor! Over here sweetie!"

Or maybe they weren't exactly empty.

I scanned the tables and finally saw Medda waving at me from one not too far away on my right. To my surprise she was sitting there with Spot and Jack, the three of them drinking what looked like coffee.

'_I would kill for some coffee right now_,' I thought absently, before being torn out of my thoughts by the sound of Jack's voice.

"Actor!" he called out.

He immediately stood up and rushed over to me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Spot stand up too but he stayed hovering by the table, unwilling to interrupt this "brother and sister" moment. I opened my mouth to give some half-assed apology but I stopped abruptly when Jack suddenly embraced me tightly. I stood there for a few seconds, shocked, before tentatively bringing my arms up to hug Jack back.

Jack was hugging me. My own brother was hugging me. He hadn't hugged me since I was six. My thoughts drifted back to what I'd told Night last night during my rant and how I'd said I didn't love my brother anymore. Was that true? I wasn't sure how I felt about anything anymore.

When he finally pulled away, I was completely confused. Jack kept his hands protectively on my shoulders and looked at me seriously.

"How are you doing?" he asked me.

It took me a moment to gather up my thoughts enough for me to actually form a reply to that question.

"I'm better," I replied, hoping I didn't sound half as uncertain as I felt.

Apparently I was convincing enough because Jack smiled broadly.

"I'm glad to hear that. I wasn't sure how you'd feel after, well, after yesterday," he said, alluding to my attack.

I just nodded my head half-heartedly in response.

"But," Jack continued, lowering his voice, "Break told us that you wanted to come here because you didn't feel safe in the Lodging House. Is that true? Do you really feel like that?"

"Yes I do," I replied seriously.

"Why? You know we can protect you Actor. You're safe in the Lodging House," Jack declared.

I shook my head in disbelief.

"You're wrong. The Lodging House isn't some kind of safe zone that the Black Kings wouldn't dare go near. Trust me Jack, they don't see it that way. They would go inside and do whatever they needed to without a second thought. Honestly, I was worried that they would try to come by and finish off the job last night. That's why I had Break walk me here. I figured they wouldn't immediately think to look here," I argued.

"I guess you would know best," Jack sighed, accepting my argument.

Still, there was a look on his face that I didn't like. It looked like he was planning something and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to know what it was.

"Well, we should get going then. Don't want to miss selling!" Jack said, returning to his usual, upbeat self.

"Definitely not," I replied, forcing a smile.

Jack grinned at me before turning back to face Spot and Medda who were still standing by the table.

"Thanks for the coffee Medda!" Jack called out.

"Anytime kiddo! Come back again sometime soon!" Medda said back.

"Of course Medda. You know we can't stay away from beautiful you for too long," Jack replied winningly.

"Always the charmer Kelly," Medda replied, laughing.

"Let's go Spot," Jack said, nodding his head towards the exit.

Spot nodded his head in response before looking at me. We locked eyes for a second before Jack grabbed my arm and guided me away towards the door. I allowed myself to be led and didn't look back at Spot, even though I could hear his footsteps behind us. Spot always could read me better than anyone else and I didn't want him to figure out that there was more to the story than just the attack yesterday. So instead I faced forward and stepped out into the bright sunlight with them, bracing myself for what promised to be a difficult day.

/

I was right.

Selling today was rough. It was hard to fake that I was fine enough to sell papers. I had to force myself to raise my voice so that it was at least somewhat loud but even then I was often drowned out by Jack and the others. They all finished while I still had a stack of twenty-something papers left, even though they had all started out with more than me. I felt my cheeks heat up slightly as I continued to try and sell the last of my papes, conscious of the feeling of the guys all watching me carefully.

At one point I put down my arm to give it a rest after waving it in the air for a few minutes straight without any buyers. I was frustrated and embarrassed and all I wanted to do was throw my papes down on the ground and say to hell with it. So what if I didn't eat tonight.

I took a deep breath to try and calm myself and was about to call out some fake headline again when suddenly Race showed up at my side. I turned my head to look at him in surprise as he took more than half of my stack and walked a few paces away, starting to yell out the headline. I just stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, I just shrugged my shoulders and got back to selling. I managed to finish selling my final six papers at the same time Race sold the seventeen or so papes he'd taken from me. After getting money from the last customer, Race turned and walked over to me. He grabbed my hand and placed all the money he'd made from selling my papes into my hand, even the tips. I looked at him wide-eyed and was about to say thank you (despite my extreme embarrassment) when he smiled and spoke before I could.

"How about some dinner at Tibby's?" he asked.

I couldn't do anything more than nod my head at his suggestion.

"Great! Let's go then," Race said, linking elbows with me and leading me away.

I glanced over at Spot as Race and I started to walk away and found that he was staring at me. We only locked eyes for a few seconds again before I had to turn and face forward again. I didn't know when I would get the chance to talk to him about any of this. And quite frankly I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not.

/

Presently, I was sitting on one of the crates on the roof, letting myself get swallowed up by the black sky above my head.

After we all got back from selling I had told Rose I would be up on the roof and then basically ran away before she or anyone else could stop me. I was glad that they were letting me have my free time at the moment but I didn't know how much longer it would last before Jack got paranoid and sent someone up here.

I didn't have to wait too long before that question was answered. The sound of footsteps going from the fire escape to the roof drew me out of my trance but I didn't turn to look at the intruders just yet.

"Actor," a familiar voice said.

I finally turned my head and saw Holler and Break standing at the edge of the roof. They walked over until they were only a few feet away and sat down on nearby crates. I regarded them silently, knowing fully well what they wanted to talk about.

"How are you doing?" Break asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"My throat hurts," I stated.

I saw Break wince when I said that but didn't seem to know what to say in response.

"Umm, how did your talk with Night go?" Break finally asked awkwardly.

I opened my mouth to answer the question honestly when a loud racket came from the fire escape. I immediately shut up and the three of us turned to see who was making so much noise. To our surprise Slick's head finally popped up and he hoisted himself onto the roof. He finally managed to stand up, although he was bent over wheezing, probably having run here from someplace else.

"Slick? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Holler asked, immediately going into leader mode.

Slick ignored him though and stared straight at me. Immediately I knew that Slick had found out.

"Is it true?" Slick asked, still panting heavily.

"Is what true?" Holler asked, looking between the two of us, clearly confused.

"Rumor has it…" Slick managed to get out, "that Actor quit the Black Kings"

There was a moment of dead silence on the roof with only Slick's heavy breathing to fill the empty air. Break and Holler turned to face me, disbelief written all over their faces.

"It's true," I said without emotion, managing to find my voice, "I quit the Black Kings"

Hearing myself admit that out loud…Still didn't bring up anything. I briefly wondered if I should be worried at all about my lack of emotions but Break's next words took me away from that train of thought.

"But…but…when?" Break managed to get out through his shock.

"Last night. When I was talking with Night," I answered calmly.

"What happened?" Holler asked.

"That's between me and Night. The only thing that matters is that I'm no longer in the Black Kings," I replied evenly.

"That's great!" Break said suddenly.

Holler shot Break a look clearly telling him to shut up before turning back to me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I don't feel anything," I replied.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I don't feel anything about this decision. Nothing. At all," I said simply.

Holler looked at me, even more concerned than he was initially. He opened his mouth to speak again but I stood up abruptly, wanting to end this conversation.

"I need to get some sleep now," I declared.

Break and Holler stood up too but I just edged around them and headed towards the fire escape, passing by Slick without a single glance at him. Climbing down, I slipped into the girls' bunkroom and into my bed.

It took me a while to fall asleep though. Not because I was thinking about my decisions or what had just happened with Break and Holler. It was because seeing the window right by my bed made me too terrified to go to sleep. I kept on imagining figures in black climbing in through the window to come after me and choke all the air out of my lungs. I could practically feel my lungs start to tighten multiple times and I had to fight off the waves of panic that accompanied it. When sleep finally won out over fear, I could see the sky start to lighten outside signaling it was morning. Only minutes later, Kloppmann called out for everyone to get up. I managed to haul myself into a sitting position and blinked as the sun streamed through the window and filled my eyes.

Apparently just because I left the Black Kings doesn't mean that the nightmares they had given me would go away.

**A/N Rough time for Actor, I know. I tried to make her mental state somewhat like emotional repression, where she doesn't feel anything after having quit the Black Kings because her body basically decided that if she did have to face that emotional turmoil she wouldn't be able to handle it, so everything's getting hidden away for now. Crazy stuff. **


End file.
